The 100th Anniversary of the Great Nave
at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
In partnership with Friends of the Cathedral
Tuesday, June 10 6-7pm via Zoom
The Nave of the landmarked Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in Manhattan is an architectural masterpiece. Great works, especially great cathedrals, take time, and 2025 represents 100 years of astonishing craftsmanship and devotion to this task.
George Heins and Christopher LaFarge won the initial commission for the Cathedral with their eclectic neo Romanesque-Byzantine design. The cornerstone was laid to great fanfare in 1892 with the goal of creating one of the largest, most awe-inspiring cathedrals in the world. By 1925, however, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine consisted of the Great Crossing, the apsidal chapels, the baptistry—and just the foundation floor of the Nave.
Everything from site problems to the death of architect George Heins to The Great War had conspired against the Nave's construction, but the charismatic Bishop William T. Manning would not be daunted. In 1925, he enlisted Franklin D. Roosevelt to serve as head of the Committee to Complete the Cathedral. The nationwide campaign persevered through the Roaring 20’s and the Great Depression, bringing in funds from nearly every corner of the country. The Great Nave began to rise.
Architectural historian and Cathedral expert Nicolas Kemper has prepared a unique virtual event to share the story of this critical chapter in the Cathedral’s history, the period from 1925 to its completion on the eve of World War II. See how a new architect, Ralph Cram, embracing a heady Gothic design, endowed the Nave with its magnificent ribbed vaulting, pointed arches, flying buttresses and stained glass windows. View rare historic photographs and share in the incredible details of the Great Nave's construction.
For everyone who has ever visited the Great Nave—and especially all those who have never had that opportunity—this is an evening not to be missed!
Our speaker:
Nicolas Kemper is an architectural historian and a docent at Cathedral St. John the Divine. A graduate of Yale University and Yale School of Architecture, he is publisher of New York Review of Architecture.
