ANNOUNCING A TOUR OF
FIVE HISTORIC
LONG ISLAND CITY CHURCHES
OCTOBER 10, 2005
9:30 AM – 5:00 PM
HOSTED BY GREATER ASTORIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY & AMERICAN
GUILD OF ORGANISTS, QUEENS CHAPTER….
BREAKFAST, NEIGHBORHOOD COMMENTARY, CHURCH HISTORY,
ARCHITECTURE & AN END-OF-DAY CONCERT
On Monday, October 10 beginning at 9:00 am, the Greater Astoria Historical Society and Queens
Organ Guild will lead a day-long tour of 5 major historical churches in Queens. It is a never
before event for Queens.
Enjoy a rare look into some of the greatest interior spaces in our neighborhoods: where church
sanctuaries, some endangered with development, still resonate with the hopes and dreams of the
generations that built them. Rediscover these once and future centers of our communities.
Participants will enjoy a rare insight into the neighborhood history of each church, as well as its
architecture and background, provided by Bob Singleton, President, Greater Astoria Historical
Society. The Organ Guild will provide background commentary on each church organ. Each visit
will feature a mini-concent.
Price: $15 for Queens AGO members. $25 for others. Space is limited. Please RSVP at
BrokenAnk@aol.com. Please make check payable to the “Queens Chapter, AGO”, and mail it to
Vincent G. Alukonis, 30 Hanover Street, Floral Park, NY 11001.
For additional information, call the Greater Astoria Historical Society at 718-278-0700.
The day will begin with coffee and bagels at St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church at 1008 49th
Avenue, Hunter’s Point, between 9:00 am – 9:30. The church tour will begin at 9:30. From there, the
tour will continue to the other churches below. To reach St. Mary’s, take the #7 train to the
Hunter’s Point stop and walk one block.
SCHEDULE
(all times approximate):
Starting point: St. Mary's in LIC will have their parking lot open and is one block away from 7 train.
9:00 AM to 9:30 AM
BREAKFAST: Bagels, coffee and tea will be provided free of charge.
ST. MARY'S ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,
10-08 49th Avenue,
Hunters Point, Long Island City
9:30 AM to 10:30AM TOUR/CONCERT
Located in Hunter’s Point in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood, this bold brick and brownstone
edifice once had the largest congregation of any Long Island City church. From this parish Father
Couglin organized the community to gain important municipal services as schools. His efforts led
to local government. St. Mary’s is the birthplace of Long Island City.
TRINITY LUTHERAN CHURCH
31-18 31st Avenue,
Norwood, Long Island City
10:45 AM to 11:45 AM TOUR/CONCERT
One hundred years ago, the largest ethic group in Long Island City were the German
communities clustered along Broadway in the 40s and along upper Steinway Street. Most
in the Broadway section were Roman Catholic cabinet makers (hence the founding of St.
Joseph’s R.C. (Joseph being the patron saint of carpenters). In 1890, the Protestant Germans
founded today’s Trinity Lutheran Church. The current building, designed by a local
architect in the 1920s, echoes the cathedrals of medieval Europe.
11:45 AM to 12:45 AM
LUNCH: Dutch treat at one of the many local delightful, modestly priced restaurants.
FIRST REFORMED CHURCH OF ASTORIA
27-35 12th Street,
Old Astoria Village, Long Island City
1:00 PM to 1:50 PM TOUR/CONCERT
The First (Dutch) Reformed Church of Astoria at 27-26 12th Street dates to 1888, with ornate
stained glass windows and a steeple dating to the 1920s. In the cemetery, a lot about to be
developed into housing, are the supposed remains of the “Father of Astoria,” Stephen Halsey, who
incorporated the village in 1839. This church is located in the center of Old Astoria Village, the
most significant historic site in Queens. Here wealthy businessmen built homes ranging from cozy
boxes to large, ornate mansions. Every year, as a few buildings get torn down, it is all but ignored
by the citywide preservation community.
AS A SPECIAL TREAT, THE QUEENS ORGAN GUILD DONATED THEIR SKILLS TO RESTORE
AND TUNE THIS NINETEENTH CENTURY PIPE ORGAN FOR THIS OCCASION.
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF ASTORIA
31-40 33rd Street,
Broadway, Long Island City
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM TOUR/CONCERT
Presbyterian Church of Astoria was organized on May 6, 1846. Congregation members first met in
a district schoolhouse that stood on the south side of 27th Ave. just west of 18th St. A new building
was subsequently built on a new site on the west side of 33rd street between Broadway and 31st
Avenue in the 1920s after a member donated land for the purpose of building a church, parsonage,
and community building. The facade, a massive Greek-temple, although overlooking one of the
busiest streets in the community, is a local landmark.
STEINWAY REFORMED CHURCH
41-01 Ditmars Boulevard
Steinway, Long Island City
3:15 PM to 4:15 PM TOUR/CONCERT
This church began as a Protestant Union church in 1879, housed in a small building erected on the
southeast corner of 20th Road & 41st Street. It was erected with contributions from persons of all
denominations, and every last dollar of debt was paid before dedication, which took place on
November 30, 1879. After the congregation outgrew the building, a new edifice was put up on the
northeast corner of 41st Street and Ditmars Boulevard in 1891. William Steinway contributed a pipe
organ from Steinway Hall in New York. This rural Gothic Revival gem, along with its adjoining
parsonage, is a beloved local landmark.
After 4:30 PM
DINNER: Dutch treat at one of the many delicious restaurants that line local leafy streets.
Price: $15 for Queens AGO members. $25 for others.
Space is limited. Please RSVP at BrokenAnk@aol.com.
Please make check payable to the “Queens Chapter, AGO”, and mail it to
Vincent G. Alukonis, 30 Hanover Street, Floral Park, NY 11001.
For additional information contact Greater Astoria Historical Society at 718-278-0700.