ST. JOHN'S CHURCH, 1909-
The leaders of the church made a significant statement about their hopes for the future by choosing Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue to be their architect. Goodhue, then aligned with prominent Gothicist Ralph Adams Cram, was already one of the nation's leading church designers and would later rise to fame as the architect of St. Bartholomew's in New York, the National Academy of Sciences building in Washington, D. C., the campus of the California Institute of Technology, and the Nebraska State Capitol among others. At the time of his design work for St. John's, Goodhue was also creating plans for the new cadet chapel at the United States Military Academy at West Point and for two "English country churches" similar to St. John’s in West Haven, Connecticut, and Mount Kisco, New York.
Mr. Wait writes: "The choice of Bertram G. Goodhue...proved to be a fortunate one. Having abandoned the auditorium model of church design, Goodhue and his partners favored the neo-gothic, or tudor parish church model characterized by a long, narrow and rather lofty sanctuary that rose to the column-supported clerestory above narrow side aisles...Admired as much for the beauty of his architectural drawings as for their realization in stone, Goodhue was, by the middle of the new century's first decade, beginning to impose his own modifications on the "textbook" gothic of his earlier works. Aisles were narrowed still further and low massive stone columns with neither base nor capital supported segmented arches, directing the eye upward to the clerestory windows above."
Goodhue's original design called for a parish house, among other attributes, but the leaders of St. John's, working with a limited budget, authorized only the building of the church, a sacristy and an office wing to the west. As part of the construction, a new organ, to be built by the Austin Organ Company, was made part of the church's plans. In addition, some features of the old building, notably the communion rail, bell, pulpit, and lectern, were brought from Hartford.
The old church was vacated on Easter Sunday, 1907, and a week later the parish began services at temporary quarters on Prospect Avenue. Construction of the new church building continued for another two years with its consecration occurring on June 9, 1909.
St. John's as built. Later renovations
would move the main entrance to this end of the structure.
(St. John's
Archives)
Almost immediately the parish began planning
modifications to the original edifice and site and Bertram Goodhue was
contacted to design an expansion of the church facility in keeping with
his original ideas. As a result, a small parish house was completed to the
architect's plans in 1914-15. In 1922-3, the church underwent significant
renovations with an extension of the chancel and the installation of a
reredos depicting the Last Supper. The reredos was crafted by renowned
sculptor Lee Lawrie who frequently worked with Goodhue and had already
completed the magifiicent reredos, to Goodhue’s plans, at St. Thomas's
Church in New York City. Lawrie would later sculpt several monumental
pieces at St. Bartholomew's and Radio City Music Hall (where he was
responsible for the famous art deco “gargoyles” that adorn the exterior)
in New York City.
Interior facing the altar following
the addition of the Goodhue/Lawrie reredos.
(St. John's
Archives)
Work was done in the early 1920’s to seal tower
leaks which had been present from the very beginning of the structure. At
around the same time the rapid growth of the Church's school program
brought church leaders back into contact with Bertram Goodhue concerning
ways to provide space for education classes. Nelson R. Burr, in his A
History of St. John's Church (1941), notes: "Before Mr. Goodhue's death in
1923, he had unfolded to the Rector his vision of a complete, unified
group of buildings with all facilities for worship, education and social
events."
To open the west side of the church property, several
houses that stood between St. John’s and South Highland Street were
acquired in preparation for new construction. Based on Goodhue's ideas,
the cornerstone of a new parish house was laid in 1927. At the same time,
the Church built its cloister, outdoor pulpit with peace cross and, due to
a crush of parishioners trying to attend services, lengthened its nave by
two bays towards Farmington Avenue. Regarding the latter improvement, St.
John's also gained a new entrance on its north (Farmington Avenue) end,
the previous main entrance having been on the side of the nave at its
northwest corner. At the behest of an athletic Rector, William T. Hooper,
the church, which had become home to a billiard table in the early 1920's,
also added two bowling alleys in the basement of the new
wing.
Following America's entry into World War II, the bowling
alleys were converted into a children's chapel to compensate for the loss
of the Church's reception room to the war effort (for the preparation of
surgical dressings). By the mid-1950's this space had outgrown demand and,
as part of a general refurbishment of the church's buildings, a children's
chapel was proposed. This addition, at the southwest corner of the Parish
House, was designed by architect Robert H. Schutz and put into service in
1955.
After over 50 years of complaints from the congregation about
difficulty hearing the words of preachers, the parish installed an
acoustical "board" over the pulpit in 1964 to better distribute sound. Two
years later the first formal stained glass clerestory window replaced one
of the many with geometrical designs that were installed when the building
was new. The last of the early geometric designs was replaced in 2001 as
the result of generous donations from parishioners.
By the
mid-1970's, the church began to show its age. A better ventilation system
was installed, work began to restore the tower and roof, handicapped
access was improved and the next decade brought a better sound system to
the nave. As the 1990's arrived, St. John's was in the process of
celebrating its 150th anniversary as a congregation. The old building was
long gone and the new one had just passed its 90th year of operation.
While frequent attempts had been made to keep them current, the building's
electrical and plumbing systems were becoming worn. The organ, which had
been updated and expanded through the years was audibly wheezing with the
music director routinely climbing through its interior to make repairs
(Note: for more information on St. John’s organs see
“A Brief
History Of Pipe Organs At St. John’s Church” by Ralph B. Valentine,
Organist and Choirmaster).
It was a mixed blessing, then,
when fire, possibly started by spontaneous combustion, roared through the
sanctuary and auditorium on Columbus Day weekend, 1992. The church that
would re-emerge from this near disaster would be more handsome than ever,
would at long last meet current fire, building and handicapped-access
codes, would be equipped with a celebrated organ, and would have a
sanctuary more in keeping with the church's interest in welcoming a
diverse clientele to its services.
Damage amounted to over $5
million dollars but the parish pulled together under its still new Rector,
the Reverend Joseph Pace, and vowed to rebuild. With the hiring of Ann
Beha Associates of Boston, the building committee, co-chaired by
parishioners Edward Eaton III and Richard Krissinger, a professional
architect, made a commitment to restore as much as possible the
nave/sanctuary design of Mr. Goodhue. Relatively minor structural changes
allowed the incorporation of the new and much larger organ, the stained
glass altar window was successfully rebuilt from photographs and glass
bits, the chancel was lengthened with careful attention paid to
reconstructing and replicating the original ceramic floor tiles, and other
fully researched restorations/alterations were made. With the 1995
reopening of the still unfinished church, which had received additional
funding via a capital campaign for further improvements, parishioners
discovered new, yet somehow satisfyingly familiar,
surroundings.
St. John's today.
In addition to efforts to restore the main
portion of St. John's some significant alterations were made at other
locations. The children's chapel, where the first post-fire, in-house
services were held, was completely redesigned to house the church's new
education wing. The St. John's auditorium, all but completely destroyed,
was expanded and completely rebuilt with a commercial grade kitchen. Today
it is the church's social center and also houses important community
meetings and events. The choir rooms, which had made their home on the
second floor of the Parish House since its construction, were relocated to
the basement where they coexist with expanded facilities for the parish's
young adults. And, finally, a new parking lot was carved out of a lawn
area behind the church adjacent to the Sexton's house.
By the year
2001, St. John's was once again considering parking expansion and
negotiations began to purchase a defunct automobile service station which
had been a neighbor to the east. As part of a generous gift by Charles
Matties, a long time political leader in West Hartford, the church
acquired the property in early 2002 with the construction of a small,
well-landscaped parking area following shortly
thereafter.
Maintaining a building like St. John’s is hardly a
trivial pursuit. The clergy, staff and parishioners of St. John’s labor
continually to assure that its spaces remain attractive, functional and
conducive to the many activities carried forth within. We welcome visitors
to our beautiful and historic church home and, more importantly, to our
parish. While lucky indeed to have an architecturally prominent structure
as the focal point for our services, St. John’s has always been and will
always be the story of its people.
The above text was derived in
part from Nelson Burr’s A History of Saint John’s Church, 1841 – 1941
(1941) and A History of St. John’s Church, 1841 – 1995 (1996),
by Gary E. Wait. The latter title is available from the church.