Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), Brooklyn

Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), Brooklyn

Ezra Bisbee

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This view of the First Unitarian Congregational Church, erected in 1844 on Pierrepont Street, near the corner of Monroe Place in Brooklyn Heights, presents a stately Gothic Revival building (surrounded by a grill fence). Five pedestrians walk on the sidewalk bordering the front and side of the building, which stands majestically outlined by the sky. The print --this impression colored in lovely pinkish tones to indicate the colors of the street, sidewalk and dark sandstone of the church-- was published shortly after the church was dedicated. Designed by Minard Lafever, the architect of several distinctive churches built in New York City from 1830 to 1850, was trained as a carpenter while he studied the rudiments of architecture. During his career, Lafever published practical instruction books for builders, in addition to designing actual buildings. While he helped to promote the Greek Revival architectural style, it was his splendid Gothic Revival churches in Brooklyn that brought him acclaim. The most outstanding example was the one depicted here dedicated as the Church of the Savior. The church building still exists today in active use by its religious community.

Drawings and Prints

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Church of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), BrooklynChurch of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), BrooklynChurch of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), BrooklynChurch of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), BrooklynChurch of the Saviour (First Unitarian Congregational), Brooklyn

The Department’s vast collection of works on paper comprises approximately 21,000 drawings, 1.2 million prints, and 12,000 illustrated books created in Europe and the Americas from about 1400 to the present day. Since its foundation in 1916, the Department has been committed to collecting a wide range of works on paper, which includes both pieces that are incredibly rare and lauded for their aesthetic appeal, as well as material that is more popular, functional, and ephemeral. The broad scope of the department’s collecting encourages questions of connoisseurship as well as those pertaining to function and context, and demonstrates the vital role that prints, drawings, and illustrated books have played throughout history.