Cathedral of the Incarnation

 After Garden City founder Alexander T. Stewart died in 1876, his widow, Cornelia Clinch Stewart, decided to build a cathedral in his memory. The more than 200-foot-tall brown sandstone edifice, completed eight years later and consecrated in 1885, was then the tallest building on Long Island. When he passed away in 1876, Stewart was considered one of the three richest men in the United States, alongside Cornelius Vanderbilt and William B. Astor.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation was designed to emulate the Gothic style of architecture found throughout many European churches. In buildings of this style, the eye is always pointed upward to heaven. The grandeur and height of the building is further intensified by the profusion of light bursting through the stained glass.

The cathedral's ornately decorated spire rises to a height of over 200 feet, topping the impressive building made from imposing blocks of brown sandstone. The interior decor features opulent ceiling vaulting which has been recently gilded. It even features gargoyles on the exterior. The tower bells originally were cast for the 1876 U.S. Centennial in Philadelphia and brought to Garden City by train.

The cathedral's organ was built by Casavant Frères Limitée, and was installed in the building in 1986. With 103 ranks located in both the chancel and gallery of the Cathedral, it is the largest pipe organ on Long Island.  Priests who want to take a shortcut can climb another set of winding iron stairs from the clergy vestry to the upper sanctuary by a hidden passageway.

The Cathedral of the Incarnation has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978.

Source:

“History.” The Cathedral of the Incarnation, www.incarnationgc.org/about/history/. 

Merritt, Jim. “Cathedral Tour Inspires Awe in Garden City.” Newsday, Newsday, 17 Nov. 2016, www.newsday.com/lifestyle/long-island-events/cathedral-of-the-incarnation-tours-inspire-awe-in-garden-city-1.12625225.