| Avenue Church NYC (formerly, Jan Hus Presbyterian Church) | |
|---|---|
 Jan Hus Presbyterian Church (2012) | |
 | |
| 40°46′10.3″N 73°57′19.9″W / 40.769528°N 73.955528°W | |
| Location | 1745 First Avenue, New York City, New York 10128 |
| Country | United States |
| Denomination | Presbyterian Church USA |
| Website | www.avenuechurchnyc.org |
| History | |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | R.H. Robertson |
| Architectural type | Bohemian Gothic Revival[1] |
| Completed | 1888 |
| Clergy | |
| Pastor(s) | The Reverend Dr. Jordan A. Tarwater |
Avenue Church NYC, formerly known as Jan Hus Presbyterian Church, is a Christian congregation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, associated with the Presbyterian Church USA.[2] It is the oldest historically Czech Presbyterian congregation in the US, having been founded in 1877, and the church building was opened in 1888.[3]
The church was originally named for Jan Hus, a Bohemian priest who was a theologian and reformer.[4] The church is in the area that was once known as Little Bohemia. Once a center of the Czech community, the church now has a diversified inclusionist congregation.
The church ran an active Neighborhood House that promoted music, theater, and culture and operated a homeless outreach program. The church basement includes a 150-seat theatre that was home to Gilbert and Sullivan performing groups almost continuously from 1952 to 1975. Chicago City Limits performed there throughout the 1980s. Since then, several arts organizations have been based at the theatre.
In 2019, the Session of Jan Hus Presbyterian sold the 23,000-square-foot (2,100 m2) church building located at 351 East 74th Street, New York City, New York, in Manhattan's Upper East Side to purchase a more modern facility to meet the growing needs of the congregation and their large community outreach missions.[5] Their new property, located at 1745 First Avenue, New York City, New York, is scheduled to open in early 2020.[6][7]
- ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 471. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7.
- ^ "Congregations in Manhattan: Presbytery of New York City". Nycpresbytery.org. May 4, 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-10-03. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ "From breweries and baseball to 'cigar tenements' and German Broadway: 10 secrets of Yorkville".
- ^ "Jan Hus Presbyterian Church – New York City". Nycago.org. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 24, 2011.
- ^ "UES Churches Selling Buildings in Dual Transactions: Reports". 18 December 2018.
- ^ FEIDEN, DOUGLAS (2019-12-14). "EXCLUSIVE: Two fabled UES churches sold". Our Town.
- ^ Feiden, Douglas. "Jan Hus buys soccer shop". Our Town.