Grace Episcopal Church
412 University Avenue (corner Madison Street)
Syracuse, NY 13202
Contact: Rev. Johanna Marcure <jojoma@gmail.com>
315-478-0901
http://gracesyracuse.org/
Saturday, May 21: 10:00 to 3:00; Sunday, May 22: 11:00 to 2:00
- Visitors are welcome to visit the 1876 sanctuary and the recently renovated 1916 parish house.
Grace Episcopal Church was organized on March 27, 1871 and the current National Register-listed Gothic Revival building of Onondaga limestone was built in 1876 according to the design of architect Horatio Nelson White (Syracuse University Hall of Languages, Gridley Building). The tower, originally twice its existing height and considered Norman in style, was shortened in 1940 due to bulging of the upper walls. The rebuilding was redesigned by noted local architect Melvin King (Hills Building, collaborator on the county courthouse and Niagara-Mohawk Building) to give the church a “modern English appearance” (Syracuse Herald-Journal). The adjoining Arts and Crafts-inspired Gothic-Revival parish house was built in 1916-17 according to the design of architect Justus Moak Scrafford, an Ecole des Beaux-Arts-trained professor at Syracuse University. Scrafford also designed St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Almond Street, an African-American parish that was closed in 1957 and subsequently lost to urban renewal. Many of the parishioners joined Grace, forming the diverse congregation that exists today. The parish recently completed a major rehabilitation of the parish house following a September 2013 kitchen fire. Plans are presently underway to repair the failing walls of the church tower and the pebble-dash stucco of the parish house.
Grace Church has a long history of social activism. In 1878, the church baptized and later ordained David Pendleton Oakerhater, a Cheyenne warrior and political prisoner who devoted his life to serving his people and the Episcopal Church. In 1992, Oakerhater was elevated to sainthood within the Episcopal Church—the first Native American saint in the church—and Grace was dedicated as his national shrine. In 2004, windows were installed in his honor and in 2005, a celebration with Saint Oakerhater's descendents was held at Grace. In the 1960s, following the welcoming of African-American parishioners from St. Philips, Grace led the city's churches in its commitment to civil rights, which included providing a home to one of the first HeadStart programs, offering training for Peace Corps and Vista volunteers, and holding meetings for the Congresses for Racial Equality (CORE). In 1974, Betty Bone Schiess, a parishioner of Grace was ordained three years prior to the Episcopal General Convention's recognition of women priests. She became associate rector. Grace Episcopal Church continues to be a welcoming parish to people of all races, ethnicity, theological backgrounds, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
412 University Avenue (corner Madison Street)
Syracuse, NY 13202
Contact: Rev. Johanna Marcure <jojoma@gmail.com>
315-478-0901
http://gracesyracuse.org/
Saturday, May 21: 10:00 to 3:00; Sunday, May 22: 11:00 to 2:00
- Visitors are welcome to visit the 1876 sanctuary and the recently renovated 1916 parish house.
Grace Episcopal Church was organized on March 27, 1871 and the current National Register-listed Gothic Revival building of Onondaga limestone was built in 1876 according to the design of architect Horatio Nelson White (Syracuse University Hall of Languages, Gridley Building). The tower, originally twice its existing height and considered Norman in style, was shortened in 1940 due to bulging of the upper walls. The rebuilding was redesigned by noted local architect Melvin King (Hills Building, collaborator on the county courthouse and Niagara-Mohawk Building) to give the church a “modern English appearance” (Syracuse Herald-Journal). The adjoining Arts and Crafts-inspired Gothic-Revival parish house was built in 1916-17 according to the design of architect Justus Moak Scrafford, an Ecole des Beaux-Arts-trained professor at Syracuse University. Scrafford also designed St. Philip’s Episcopal Church on Almond Street, an African-American parish that was closed in 1957 and subsequently lost to urban renewal. Many of the parishioners joined Grace, forming the diverse congregation that exists today. The parish recently completed a major rehabilitation of the parish house following a September 2013 kitchen fire. Plans are presently underway to repair the failing walls of the church tower and the pebble-dash stucco of the parish house.
Grace Church has a long history of social activism. In 1878, the church baptized and later ordained David Pendleton Oakerhater, a Cheyenne warrior and political prisoner who devoted his life to serving his people and the Episcopal Church. In 1992, Oakerhater was elevated to sainthood within the Episcopal Church—the first Native American saint in the church—and Grace was dedicated as his national shrine. In 2004, windows were installed in his honor and in 2005, a celebration with Saint Oakerhater's descendents was held at Grace. In the 1960s, following the welcoming of African-American parishioners from St. Philips, Grace led the city's churches in its commitment to civil rights, which included providing a home to one of the first HeadStart programs, offering training for Peace Corps and Vista volunteers, and holding meetings for the Congresses for Racial Equality (CORE). In 1974, Betty Bone Schiess, a parishioner of Grace was ordained three years prior to the Episcopal General Convention's recognition of women priests. She became associate rector. Grace Episcopal Church continues to be a welcoming parish to people of all races, ethnicity, theological backgrounds, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
