Old Dutch Church (Kingston, New York)
| First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston | |
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Church spire and south elevation, 2008
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Kingston, NY, USA |
| Geographic coordinates | 41°55′58″N 74°01′08″W / 41.93278°N 74.01889°W |
| Affiliation | Reformed Church in America |
| Year consecrated | 1852 |
| Leadership | The Rev. Kenneth L. Walsh |
| Website | Old Dutch Church |
| Architectural description | |
| Architect(s) | Minard Lafever |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival |
| General contractor | Hallenbeck & Brink |
| Groundbreaking | 1851 |
| Completed | 1852 |
| Construction cost | $33,000 |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | south |
| Length | 117 feet (36 m) |
| Width | 66 feet (20 m) |
| Height (max) | 50 feet (15 m) |
| Spire(s) | 1 |
| Spire height | 225 feet (69 m) |
| Materials | Bluestone, wood |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
| NRHP Reference no. | 08001089 |
| Designated as NHL | October 6, 2008 |
The Old Dutch Church, officially known as the First Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Kingston, is located on Wall Street in Kingston, New York, United States. Formally organized in 1659, it is one of the oldest continuously existing congregations in the country. Its current building, the fifth, is an 1852 structure by Minard Lafever that was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2008, the only one in the city. The church's 225-foot (69 m) steeple, a replacement for a taller but similar original that collapsed, makes it the tallest building in Kingston and a symbol of the city.
Lafever's building was described by Calvert Vaux as "ideally perfect". It is unique among his work as his only Renaissance Revival church that largely retains the original design, and the only stone church he is known to have built. Its interior includes stained glass by Louis Comfort Tiffany's company, and an extensive M.P. Moller pipe organ After a few early renovations, and the collapse of the higher original steeple, it has remained largely intact since 1892, although there have been continuing issues with one of the walls. One of the congregation's previous churches is across neighboring Wall Street. The church grounds also include a small cemetery with most of the burials predating its construction. Among them is George Clinton, a former governor and U.S. Vice President.
The church has been active in Kingston's civic life. During the Revolutionary War George Washington paid a visit due to the church's strong support for the Patriot cause, and wrote a thank-you note exhibited in the church today. An annual dinner is held to commemorate the visit. George H. Sharpe raised a Civil War regiment at the church, and later erected a monument in the churchyard to those volunteers. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and members of the Dutch royal family, among other notables, have visited the church. It has also been the site of memorials to tragedy from the assassination of William McKinley to September 11, 2001.
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