Little Church Around the Corner
| Church of the Transfiguration | |
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(c. 1900)
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| Location | 1 East 29th Street Manhattan, New York City |
| Denomination | Episcopal Church |
| Churchmanship | Anglo-Catholic |
| Website | www |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Manhattan |
| Diocese | New York |
| Province | II |
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Church of the Transfiguration and Rectory
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 Location in Manhattan
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| Coordinates | 40°44′43″N 73°59′10″W / 40.74526°N 73.98598°WCoordinates: 40°44′43″N 73°59′10″W / 40.74526°N 73.98598°W |
| Built | 1849 |
| Architect |
lych-gate only: Frederick Clarke Withers all other structures: unknown |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 73001216 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 4, 1973 |
| Designated NYCL | May 25, 1967 |
The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, is an Episcopal parish church located at 1 East 29th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The congregation was founded in 1848 by George Hendric Houghton and worshiped in a home at 48 East 29th Street until the church was built and consecrated in 1849.
The church was designed in the early English Neo-Gothic style; the architect has not been identified. The sanctuary is set back from the street behind a garden which creates a facsimile of the English countryside and which has long been an oasis for New Yorkers, who relax in the garden, pray in the chapel, or enjoy free weekday concerts in the main church. The complex has grown somewhat haphazardly over the years, and for this reason it is sometimes called the "Holy Cucumber Vine". The sanctuary had a guildhall, transepts, and a tower added to it in 1852, and the lych-gate, designed by Frederick Clarke Withers, was built in 1896. Chapels were added in 1906 (lady chapel) and 1908 (mortuary chapel).
In 1967, the church was designated a New York City landmark, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The church has been a leader of the Anglo-Catholic movement within the Episcopal Church from its founding. While this movement is often associated with elaborate worship, it also has stressed service to the poor and oppressed from its earliest days. In 1863, during the Civil War Draft Riots, Houghton gave sanctuary to African Americans who were under attack, filling up the church's sanctuary, schoolroom, library and vestry. When rioters showed up at the church, Houghton turned them away and dispersed them by saying, "You white devils, you! Do you know nothing of the spirit of Christ?"
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