St. Stephan’s Roman Catholic Church, 1930
James Renwick, architect of the Free Academy and St. Patrick’s Cathedral,
also designed St. Stephan’s Church, completed in 1854 on 28th Street
between Third and Lexington Avenues. The Romanesque Revival church included
murals by Constantino Brumidi, who also painted the mural of George Washington
ascending to heaven on the interior of the U.S. Capital dome. The central nave
of St. Stephen’s was extended to 29th Street in 1865 to accommodate one
of the largest Roman Catholic congregations in the United States. Today, the
church is Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Stephan’s Church.
