View source for Cathedral of St. John the Divine

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Short description|Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = Cathedral of St. John the Divine
| fullname         = Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
| image            = St. John the Divine Cathedral.jpg
| caption          = 
| location         = 112th Street and 1047 [[Tenth Avenue (Manhattan)|Amsterdam Ave]], [[Manhattan]], [[New York City]]
| coordinates = {{coord|40.803888|-73.962080|display=inline,title}}
| country          = United States
| denomination     = [[Episcopal Church (United States)|Episcopal Church]]
| churchmanship    = 
| website          = {{URL|https://www.stjohndivine.org}}
| founded date     = {{Start date and age|1892}}
| founder          = [[Henry Codman Potter]]
| dedication       = [[John the Apostle|St. John]]
| consecrated date = November 30, 1941
| events           = 
| status           = 
| architect        = [[Heins & LaFarge|Christopher Grant LaFarge and George Lewis Heins]]; [[Ralph Adams Cram]]
| architectural type = [[Cathedral]]
| style            = [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]], [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]
| groundbreaking   = December 27, 1892
| length           = {{convert|601|ft}}
| width            = {{convert|232|ft}} <!-- transept width -->
| height           = {{convert|124|ft}} <!-- nave vault height -->
| materials        = Stone, granite, limestone
| deanery          = Manhattan North
| province         = [[Province 2 of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|Atlantic]]
| diocese          = [[Episcopal Diocese of New York|New York]]
| bishop           = [[Matthew Heyd]]
| dean             = Winnie Varghese
| vicar            = Steven Y. Lee
| canon            = Eva Suarez
| organistdom      = [[Kent Tritle]]
| organist         = Daniel Ficarri
| organscholar     = Jacob Gruss
| sacristan        = Peter Ennis
| embedded         = {{Infobox historic site
| embed                = yes
| designation1            = NYCL
| designation1_offname = Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine and the Cathedral Close
| designation1_type    = [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission|New York City Landmark]]
| designation1_date    = February 21, 2017
| designation1_number  = 2585<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=1}}</ref>
}}
}}

The '''Cathedral of St. John the Divine''' (sometimes referred to as '''St. John's''' and also nicknamed '''St. John the Unfinished''') is the [[cathedral]] of the [[Episcopal Diocese of New York]]. It is at 1047 [[Tenth Avenue (Manhattan)|Amsterdam Avenue]] in the [[Morningside Heights, Manhattan|Morningside Heights]] neighborhood of [[Manhattan]] in [[New York City]], between West [[110th Street (Manhattan)|110th Street]] (also known as Cathedral Parkway) and West 113th Street.

The cathedral is an [[unfinished building]], with only two-thirds of the proposed building completed, due to several major stylistic changes, work interruptions, and unstable ground on the site. The original design, in the [[Byzantine Revival architecture|Byzantine Revival]] and [[Romanesque Revival architecture|Romanesque Revival]] styles, began construction in 1892. After the opening of the [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] in 1909, the overall plan was changed to a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] design. The completion of the [[nave]] was delayed until 1941 due to various funding shortfalls, and little progress has occurred since then, except for an addition to the tower at the nave's southwest corner. After a large fire damaged part of the cathedral in 2001, it was renovated and rededicated in 2008. The towers above the western [[elevation (architecture)|elevation]] of the facade, as well as the southern [[transept]] and a proposed steeple above the crossing, have not been completed.

Despite being incomplete, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is the world's [[List of largest church buildings|fourth-largest church by area]] and either the largest or second-largest Anglican cathedral.{{efn|name=size}} The floor area of St. John's is {{convert|121000|sqft|sqm|abbr=on}}, spanning a length of {{convert|601|ft}}, while the roof height of the nave is {{Convert|177|ft||abbr=}}. Since the cathedral's interior is so large, it has been used for hundreds of events and art exhibitions. In addition, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has been involved in various advocacy initiatives throughout its history.

The [[cathedral close]] includes numerous buildings: the [[Leake and Watts Services|Leake & Watts]] Orphan Asylum Building, the cathedral proper, the St. Faith's House, the Choir School, the Deanery, and the Bishop's House. The buildings are designed in several different styles and were built over prolonged periods of construction, with the Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum predating the cathedral itself. The cathedral close was collectively designated an official city landmark by the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] in 2017.

{{TOC limit|3}}

== History ==
[[File:Historic American Buildings Survey, E.P. MacFarland, Photographer May 10, 1934, DETAIL OF PORTICO (FROM SOUTHWEST). - Old Leake and Watts Orphanage, Amsterdam Avenue and 110th HABS NY,31-NEYO,22-2.tif|left|thumb|upright|The Leake and Watts Orphanage, which is still located on the cathedral grounds]]

=== Context ===

==== Site ====
The neighborhood of [[Morningside Heights, Manhattan|Morningside Heights]] was thinly settled in the 17th century by the Dutch, then by the English.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FRkbAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA547|title=Documents of the Assembly of the State of New York|last=Hall|first=Edward Hagaman|year=1916|page=554|chapter=A Brief History of Morningside Park and Vicinity|issue=v. 24}}</ref> It remained rural through the mid-19th century, with two exceptions. The first was the [[Bloomingdale Insane Asylum]], no longer extant, which opened in 1821 on what later became the site of [[Columbia University]]'s main campus.<ref name="NYCL p. 4">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=4}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=13}}</ref> The other was [[Leake and Watts Services|Leake and Watts]] Orphan Asylum, bounded by 110th Street to the south and 113th Street to the north, which later became the current cathedral site.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 1">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=1}}</ref> The Leake and Watts asylum was incorporated in 1831 under act of the [[New York State Legislature]], and three years later, {{Convert|25|acre||abbr=}} of land at the corner of Bloomingdale Road (now Broadway) and 110th Street was purchased from the Bloomingdale Asylum.<ref>{{harvnb|Richmond|1872|ps=.|p=326}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart pp. 19-21">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|pp=19–21}}</ref> The initial plans for the asylum were drawn up by [[Ithiel Town]], but were revised several times to keep the costs within the asylum's budget.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> The cornerstone of the asylum was laid in 1838, and it was completed in 1843.<ref>{{harvnb|Richmond|1872|ps=.|p=327}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart pp. 19-21" /><ref name="Gray 1990">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/06/24/realestate/streetscapes-leake-watts-orphan-asylum-castoff-path-growing-great-cathedral.html|title=Streetscapes: The Leake & Watts Orphan Asylum; A Castoff in the Path of a Growing, Great Cathedral|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=June 24, 1990|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=November 29, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== Need for a cathedral ====
Meanwhile, the [[Episcopal Diocese of New York]] started to grow in the early 19th century: there were 26 Episcopal parishes in the city by 1800, and a decade later, that number had nearly doubled to 50.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=6}}</ref><ref name="Gotham">{{Cite gotham|page=1087}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 37">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=37}}</ref><ref name="Jackson pp. 416-418">{{harvnb|Jackson|2010|ps=.|pp=416–418}}</ref> In 1828, the first proposal for a grand cathedral for the diocese was made by Bishop [[John Henry Hobart]], who proposed a site near [[Washington Square Park]].<ref name="NYT-St_Johns-1941">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/11/22/archives/st-johns-cathedral-mapped-113-years-ago-diary-of-phil-hone-mayor-in.html|title=St. John's Cathedral Mapped 113 Years Ago, Diary of Phil Hone, Mayor in 1820s, Shows|date=November 22, 1941|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 7">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=7}}</ref> The church would be called the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, or St. John's Cathedral for short, after [[Book of Revelation|the Revelation]] by [[John of Patmos]] (also called "John the Divine").<ref name="NYT-St_Johns-1941" /> The plans were canceled because of objections over erecting such a large building for the diocese, a derivative of the [[Church of England]], even as many New Yorkers still harbored resentment over the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="NYCL p. 7" />

In 1873, a cathedral board of trustees was established under Bishop [[Horatio Potter]]. The board decided on property just south of [[Central Park]], bounded by [[59th Street (Manhattan)|59th Street]] to the north and [[57th Street (Manhattan)|57th Street]] to the south.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 38" /><ref name="Project Canterbury">{{cite web|url=http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/hcpotter/nelson1927.html|title=Memories of a Metropolitan Bishop, by George F. Nelson (1927)|website=Project Canterbury|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> However, the purchase was canceled after the would-be donors lost their savings in the [[Panic of 1873]].<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 38">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=38}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=19|ps=.}}</ref> Yet another plot of land, at [[Eighth Avenue (Manhattan)|Eighth Avenue]] and 74th Street, was offered to the church in 1882, but rejected due to the high cost of acquisition.<ref>{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=25 (footnote 16)}}</ref> By 1890, there were 40,000 Episcopalians in Manhattan, and Episcopalians made up the largest bloc of Protestants in the borough.<ref name="Gotham" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 37" /><ref name="Jackson pp. 416-418" /> Furthermore, many imposing institutions were being built in New York City, such as the [[Metropolitan Museum of Art]], [[Carnegie Hall]], [[Metropolitan Opera House (39th Street)|Metropolitan Opera House]], and the [[American Museum of Natural History]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 39">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=39}}</ref>

=== Planning ===

==== Site selection ====
When [[Henry C. Potter]], Horatio Potter's nephew, became the Diocese of New York's assistant bishop in 1883,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iQkuAAAAYAAJ|title=The Election and Consecration of the Rev. Henry Codman Potter, D.D., LL D.: As Assistant Bishop of the Diocese of New York|author=Episcopal Church. Diocese of New York|publisher=J. Pott|year=1883|access-date=November 30, 2019}}</ref> he convened the trustees to look for an alternative site.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Project Canterbury" /><ref name=":0" /> On June 1, 1887, Henry Potter publicly announced his intention to build St. John's, though the exact location was still to be determined.<ref name="Dolkart p. 37" /> Potter described the planned cathedral as an "American Westminster Abbey"<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name=":0">{{harvnb|ps=.|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|p=396}}</ref> that would rival the Catholic [[St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan)|St. Patrick's Cathedral]] in [[Midtown Manhattan]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 37" /><ref name="NYTimes-Temple-1887">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1887/06/02/archives/new-cathedral-planned-bishop-potter-asks-the-city-for-aid-the.html|title=New Cathedral Planned; Bishop Potter Asks the City for Aid. the Episcopalians Propose to Build a Great Temple Worthy of Their Creed and the City|date=June 2, 1887|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In his announcement, Potter called on New Yorkers to give funds toward the new cathedral, which was expected to cost $10&nbsp;million.<ref name="Dolkart p. 39" /><ref name="NYTimes-Temple-1887" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39826006/|title=News in Brief|date=June 2, 1887|work=Brooklyn Standard Union|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The plans for the cathedral were well received by both Protestants and non-Protestants, as well as the media and other denominational leaders.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 39" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1887/06/06/archives/making-cordial-response-bishop-potters-plan-gets-only-commendation.html|title=Making Cordial Response.; Bishop Potter's Plan Gets Only Commendation. Steps Already Taking to Build the Great Cathedral and Words of Encouragement from Every Side. Appeals from the Pulpits|date=June 6, 1887|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The donors included the wealthy [[Astor family|Astor]], [[Vanderbilt family|Vanderbilt]], and Belmont families.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /> Additionally, the [[Barberini family]]'s tapestries were gifted to the cathedral in 1891.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/08/15/archives/real-barberini-tapestries-a-gift-to-the-cathedral-of-st-john-the.html|title=Real Barberini Tapestries.; a Gift to the Cathedral of St. John the Divine|date=August 15, 1891|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Numerous sites in Manhattan were examined for the new cathedral's location,<ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=40}}</ref> and by 1889, the Leake and Watts Asylum between 110th and 113th Streets had been chosen as the site for the future site of St. John's.<ref name="NYCL p. 7" /><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/henrycodmanpott02hodggoog|title=Henry Codman Potter, seventh bishop of New York|last=Hodges|first=George|publisher=Macmillan|year=1915|page=206|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref> News media such as ''[[The New York Times]]'' and ''Uptown Visitor'' praised the decision, as the site was located on a high point overlooking Central and [[Morningside Park (Manhattan)|Morningside]] parks.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 41">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=41}}</ref> The committee had wanted to build slightly further north, on a more elevated plot between [[116th Street (Manhattan)|116th Street]] to the south and 119th Street to the north. However, that plot would be too difficult to acquire, as ownership of that tract was divided among several entities; by contrast, the Leake and Watts Asylum had full control over their entire city block.<ref name="Dolkart p. 41" /><ref name="NYCL p. 8">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=8}}</ref> The {{Convert|11.5|acre||abbr=|adj=on}} asylum site was deeded to the cathedral in October 1891, and the asylum moved to [[Westchester County, New York]].<ref name="Gray 1990" /><ref name="Hall p. 25">{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=25}}</ref> The asylum site was then acquired for $850,000.<ref name="Quirk p. 20">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=20|ps=.}}</ref> At the time, Morningside Heights was quickly being developed as a residential neighborhood surrounded by numerous higher-education institutions.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 1" /> The proposed cathedral's elevated location would have been visible from [[New Jersey]], across the [[Hudson River]] to the west, as well as from the [[New York Bay]] to the south.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 398">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=398}}</ref>

==== Architecture competition ====
[[File:Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York, N. Y (NYPL b12647398-66417).tiff|thumb|Architectural rendering of the cathedral's design for Heins & LaFarge, Architects (1891)|alt=]]
[[File:King's Color-graphs of New York City20.jpg|thumb|Cathedral of St. John the Divine in 1910]]

Simultaneously, there was also debate over the new cathedral's style; because of the larger plot and more remote location from Midtown Manhattan it was expected to be more elaborate than St. Patrick's.<ref name=":0" /> The trustees had formed a Committee on Architecture in conjunction with [[William Robert Ware]], a Columbia architecture professor, which held a design competition for St. John that involved several prominent architectural firms. Though everyone was free to enter the competition, fourteen firms and architects were paid $500 each to create designs for the cathedral.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 42">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=42}}</ref> The deadline for each plan was January 1889.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/01/16/archives/plans-for-the-cathedral.html|title=Plans for the Cathedral|date=January 16, 1889|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39827463/|title=Plans for the Great Cathedral|date=January 15, 1889|work=New York Evening World|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=4|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

That May, the board of trustees formed a committee to review the more than 60 designs that had been submitted.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 398" />{{efn|Sources differ over how many plans were submitted. The [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] states that 68 plans were submitted,<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> but architectural writer [[Robert A. M. Stern]] writes that 66 plans were submitted.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 398" />}} Many of the competitors were American, though only four were experienced in cathedral construction.<ref name="NYCL p. 26">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=26}}</ref> The board members then discussed the designs privately; some architects expressed concerns about the secret consultations, since the trustees generally did not have knowledge of architectural design.<ref name="Dolkart p. 42" /> The competition was narrowed down to four finalists. Namely, these were "Gerona" by William A. Potter and R. H. Robertson; "Three Arabesque Scrolls within a Circle" by [[Heins & LaFarge|George L. Heins and Christopher Grant LaFarge]] with [[William Winthrop Kent]] (1860–1955), brother of [[Edward Austin Kent]]; "AMDG" by George M. Huss and J. H. Buck; and "Jerusalem the Golden" by [[William Halsey Wood]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 42" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39852878/|title=Cathedral Plans|date=May 16, 1889|work=New York Evening World|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1889/05/18/archives/the-cathedral-designs-the-four-plans-from-which-one-is-to-be.html|title=The Cathedral Designs.; the Four Plans from Which One Is to Be Selected|date=May 18, 1889|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Churchman Associates 1889">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lwFQAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA18-PA21|title=The Churchman|publisher=George S. Mallory|year=1889|page=685|access-date=November 30, 2019|issue=v. 59}}</ref> "Gerona" used the [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] style based on Spanish cathedrals; "AMDG" and "Jerusalem the Golden" were in a regular Gothic style, and "Three Arabesque Scrolls" was mainly [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]].<ref name="Churchman Associates 1889" /><ref name="Stern (1983) pp. 398-399">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|pp=398–399}}</ref>

Potter and Robertson were the only one of the four finalists who had significant experience at the time, and the trustees had agreed not to release any designs without the consent of all competitors, although some contestants broke the agreement anyway by revealing their designs to the media.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 398" /> The finalists were given more than a year to refine the details of their plans: the original deadline was set for February 1890,<ref name="Dolkart p. 43">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=43}}</ref> but was later extended to November<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1890/10/21/archives/the-episcopal-cathedral.html|title=The Episcopal Cathedral|date=October 21, 1890|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> after a failed proposal to host the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in Morningside Park.<ref name="Dolkart p. 43" /> The submissions were placed in public view in April 1891.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 43" /> By then, the public was losing interest in the competition, and the finalist designs mainly received negative criticism.<ref name="Dolkart p. 43" />

==== Plan selected ====
In July 1891, the plan-selection committee chose Heins & LaFarge's plan as the winning proposal.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Quirk p. 20" /><ref>{{cite news|date=July 26, 1891|title=Architects of the New Cathedral|page=18|work=New York Sun|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39870163/|access-date=November 30, 2019|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 400">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=400}}</ref> The design had been the trustees' second choice; although the trustees liked Potter and Robertson's plan more, W. A. Potter was the bishop's half-brother and the trustees did not want to be accused of nepotism.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 400" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 44-45">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|pp=44–45}}</ref> To Kent's consternation, he was initially not recognized as a co-collaborator,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39870297/|title=Architect W. W. Kent|date=April 13, 1891|work=The Buffalo Commercial|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=19|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and would not be acknowledged as such until the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39870462/|title=Mr. W. W. Kent's Vindication|date=November 30, 1892|work=The Buffalo Commercial|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=9|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The group's blueprints called for chapels and end sections with [[apse]]s; a [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]] containing four round arches as well as a dome topped by a massive tower; and [[transept]]s with round edges. The interior was based upon Boston's [[Trinity Church (Boston)|Trinity Church]], and the crossing was based upon Istanbul's [[Hagia Sophia]], Venice's [[St Mark's Basilica|St. Mark's Basilica]], and the [[Périgueux Cathedral]].<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 46-47">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|pp=46–47}}</ref><ref>{{cite New York 1880|page=366}}</ref> The "exotic" design was seen as an example of the unusual architecture that was prevalent at that time.<ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|p=17}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 8" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 46-47" /> It was also Heins & LaFarge's first major commission: the firm later designed structures such as the [[Astor Court (Bronx Zoo)|Astor Court]] buildings at the [[Bronx Zoo]], as well as the [[Early history of the IRT subway|early stations]] of the [[Interborough Rapid Transit Company]], the first operator of the present-day [[New York City Subway]].<ref name="NYCL p. 9">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/realestate/new-yorks-subway-that-engineering-marvel-also-had-architects.html|title=New York's Subway: That Engineering Marvel Also Had Architects|last=Gray|first=Christopher|date=October 10, 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

That October, the trustees directed the firm to revise their design further.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/10/21/archives/to-revise-cathedral-plans-the-architects-to-consider-suggestions.html|title=To Revise Cathedral Plans.; the Architects to Consider Suggestions Made by the Trustees|date=October 21, 1891|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The following month, it was announced that work would begin in early 1892, provided that Heins & LaFarge submitted their revised plans that April.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39871003/|title=Plans for the New Cathedral|date=November 29, 1891|work=New York Sun|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=8|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1891/11/29/archives/the-census-and-mr-brice-a-talk-with-supervisor-kenny-which-suggests.html|title=Will Begin Work Next Spring|date=November 29, 1891|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The original plans were then substantially revised because the board of trustees wanted a Gothic-style appearance. The western towers were modified to remove the spires and enlarge the windows, and various Gothic details were placed on the facade. The nave was realigned from north–south to east–west so that the [[apse]] would face east, in the direction of the sunrise, to represent the [[resurrection of Jesus]] as per Episcopal tradition.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 48">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=48}}</ref><ref name="Stern (1983) p. 401">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|p=401}}</ref> Heins & LaFarge objected to the realignment because it would result in the cathedral being hidden behind other buildings.<ref name="Dolkart p. 48" /> In the final plan, "Three Arabesque Scrolls" incorporated both Byzantine and [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] influences, with Gothic detailing on the exterior. Outwardly, the design resembled the AMDG plan from Huss & Buck.<ref name="NYCL p. 26" /> By April 1892, the trustees had raised much of the $850,000 required for land acquisition, though there still remained a deficit of $175,000.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/04/01/archives/st-john-the-divine-plans-of-the-trustees-as-to-its-building.html|title=St. John the Divine.; Plans of the Trustees as to Its Building|date=April 1, 1892|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Construction and early years ===
Construction on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine was begun with the [[cornerstone]]-laying ceremony on December 27, 1892, St. John's Day.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/12/27/archives/the-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine.html|title=The Cathedral of St. John the Divine|date=December 27, 1892|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}
* {{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=50}}
* {{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|p=380}}
* {{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=25}}
* {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=6}}</ref><ref name="NYEW-StJ-1892">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39886233/|title=St. John the Divine|date=December 27, 1892|work=New York Evening World|access-date=November 30, 2019|page=2|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> One thousand tickets for seats at the ceremony were distributed,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1892/12/08/archives/the-cathedral-cornerstone-arrangements-for-the-ceremonies-are.html|title=The Cathedral Cornerstone; Arrangements for the Ceremonies Are Rapidly Completing|date=December 8, 1892|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> though the actual attendance was 1,100.<ref name="NYEW-StJ-1892" /> The cornerstone contained various objects such as a Bible and church papers.<ref name="NYEW-StJ-1892" /> Potter hit the stone three times with a mallet and said "Other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid which is Jesus Christ."<ref name="unfinished">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/01/10/nyregion/st-john-unfinished-dean-cathedral-morningside-heights-vows-fix-what-he-s-got-not.html?pagewanted=all|title=St. John The Unfinished. Dean of Cathedral on Morningside.|last=Kirby|first=David|date=January 10, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 12, 2009|issn=0362-4331|quote=The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, more than a century in the making, may never be really finished.|author-link=David Kirby (journalist)}}</ref> The following month, the remaining $175,000 for land acquisition had been secured,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39914694/|title=Ready to Begin the Cathedral|date=January 25, 1893|work=New York Sun|access-date=December 1, 2019|page=1|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> and the trustees moved to take title to the land, including the [[cathedral close]] around the cathedral's main building, in April.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/05/23/archives/its-title-deed-secured-the-first-step-toward-building-the-cathedral.html|title=Its Title Deed Secured; The First Step Toward Building the Cathedral of St. John the Divine Taken|date=May 23, 1893|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Unlike the main building, the cathedral close was not designed under a single master plan, and during the 1890s and 1900s, several proposals would be made for the site.<ref name="NYCL p. 15">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=15}}</ref>

==== Initial construction ====
[[File:Stone sculptor at work.jpg|thumb|upright|Stonemason finishing an angel, 1909|alt=]]

Actual work on St. John's began in early 1893<!-- , following the land acquisition -->.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> The trustees initially expected that work would proceed quickly because much of the Morningside Heights plateau was made of shallow [[bedrock]]. However, in September 1893, builders unexpectedly hit pockets of soft [[shale]] and an underground spring at several locations about {{Convert|40|ft||abbr=}} below ground.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 50">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=50}}</ref><ref name=nyt18930910>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1893/09/10/archives/cathedral-builders-puzzled-a-pocket-of-soft-shale-found-on-the-site.html|title=Cathedral Builders Puzzled; A Pocket of Soft Shale Found on the Site of the Church of St. John the Divine|date=September 10, 1893|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name=n115089861>{{Cite news|date=September 9, 1893|title=Building in a Mud-Pocket|pages=8|work=The World|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115089861/building-in-a-mud-pocket/|access-date=December 24, 2022|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> One of these pockets was located directly below the site for one of the four [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] that were to support the cathedral's massive {{Convert|445|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} stone tower.<ref name="BC-Founded_Rock-1895">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39914195/|title=Founded on the Rock|date=August 18, 1895|work=Brooklyn Citizen|access-date=December 1, 2019|page=11|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Foundation-1895">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1895/08/13/archives/its-foundations-rising-work-on-the-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Its Foundations Rising; Work on the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.|date=August 13, 1895|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The trustees briefly considered moving the entire cathedral slightly southward.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref>{{Cite news|date=September 10, 1893|title=Possible Changes for the Cathedral|pages=12|work=New-York Tribune|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/115090003/possible-changes-for-the-cathedral/|access-date=December 24, 2022|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> They ultimately decided against moving the cathedral, believing it to be inauspicious if the cornerstone were to be moved.<ref name="BC-Founded_Rock-1895" /><ref name="NYTimes-Foundation-1895" /> Instead, builders drilled several deep shafts until they hit the bedrock, then poured concrete pits within each shaft. The pits would then accommodate the construction of the tower's piers.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 50" /><ref name="BC-Founded_Rock-1895" /><ref name="NYTimes-Foundation-1895" /> The layer of bedrock was, in some cases, {{convert|72|ft}} beneath ground level.<ref name="Broad 2022"/><ref name="Hall p. 27">{{harvnb|ps=.|Hall|1920|p=27}}</ref> The pits were completed in late 1895 at a significantly higher cost than originally estimated.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 50" />

By 1898, St. John's had cost an estimated $750,000,<ref name="NYTimes-Progress-1898">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1898/07/23/archives/religious-news-and-vews-progress-of-work-on-the-protestant.html|title=Religious News and Views|date=July 23, 1898|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and as per an 1896 estimate, the cathedral was projected to cost at least $5&nbsp;million when complete.<ref name="NYTimes-Charms-1896">{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/39919393/|title=Charms of Morningside|date=August 2, 1896|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|page=24|issn=0362-4331|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> As a temporary measure, the [[Tiffany Chapel]] was purchased in mid-1898 so that services could be held there. The chapel was placed in the [[crypt]], within the basement.<ref name="NYTimes-Progress-1898" /><ref name="Hall p. 76">{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=76}}</ref> The first services were held in January 1899 within the Tiffany Chapel.<ref name="Hall p. 25" /><ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="StJ-History">{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/visit/history/|title=History|publisher=Cathedral of St. John the Divine|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180617015238/http://www.stjohndivine.org/about/history|archive-date=June 17, 2018|access-date=June 16, 2018}}</ref> The crossing arches, located in the cathedral plot's eastern portion, were completed the following year,<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> though three of the arches were temporarily sealed off until the transepts and nave could be completed.<ref name="Quirk p. 21">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=21|ps=.}}</ref> By then, some $2&nbsp;million had already been spent, even though little appeared to have been completed.<ref name="Dolkart p. 512">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=51}}</ref> Despite large donations from prominent figures such as financiers [[John Jacob Astor IV]] and [[William Waldorf Astor]], governor [[Levi P. Morton]], banker [[J. P. Morgan]], and businessman [[Cornelius Vanderbilt]], the trustees continued to raise funds.<ref name="NYCL p. 10">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=10}}</ref>

In March 1903, the trustees announced that the next stage of St. John's construction would require $500,000 for building the choir and $200,000 for completing the loft, and that eight massive [[granite]] columns would need to be procured to support the roof over the choir.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/03/25/archives/cathedral-choir-columns-st-john-the-divine-trustees-announce-that-a.html|title=Cathedral Choir Columns; St. John the Divine Trustees Announce That a Sufficient Sum for the Work Has Been Subscribed.|date=March 25, 1903|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Furthermore, the trustees would build three arches to support the rest of the roof.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/03/30/archives/pushing-new-cathedral-three-more-arches-to-follow-the-eight-great.html|title=Pushing New Cathedral; Three More Arches to Follow the Eight Great Pillars|date=March 30, 1903|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Quarried in [[Vinalhaven, Maine]], each column was {{Convert|54|ft||abbr=}} tall with a {{Convert|6|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} diameter<ref name="Dolkart p. 512" /><ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="Engineering News 1903">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BzJKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA491|title=Engineering News|publisher=McGraw-Hill Publishing Company|year=1903|pages=491–493|access-date=December 3, 2019|issue=v. 50}}</ref>—at the time, the world's second-largest stone columns.{{efn|The largest stone columns were those at [[Saint Isaac's Cathedral]] in the Russian city of [[Saint Petersburg]].<ref name="NYCL p. 30" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53" />}} Because of their size, three of the columns were cracked while being [[Turning|turned]].<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="Tribune-Pillars-1904">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40018613/|title=Big Pillars in Place|date=July 6, 1904|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=5|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|pp=52–53}}</ref> The columns were then transported using a specially constructed barge towed by the large [[steam tug]] ''[[Clara Clarita]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=paRJAAAAIBAJ&pg=3968,474132|title=Church's columns quarried on Vinalhaven|last=Hewitt|first=Rich|date=December 19, 2001|work=Bangor Daily News|access-date=December 3, 2019}}</ref> When the columns arrived at Manhattan in July and August 1903, they were rolled onto flatbed trucks and brought to the cathedral's site.<ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1903/08/28/archives/moving-cathedral-columns-it-took-seven-hours-to-turn-a-100ton.html|title=Moving Cathedral Columns; It Took Seven Hours to Turn a 100-Ton Monolith at the Wharf, and One Hour to Haul It 50 Feet.|date=August 28, 1903|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40018161/|title=Get Ready to Move Big Columns|date=July 14, 1903|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=6|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The builders lacked a [[derrick]] strong enough to lift the column pieces, so they ordered wood to build one. The columns were finally lifted in July 1904, more than a year after the initial announcement.<ref name="Tribune-Pillars-1904" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53" /> The walls could not be placed until after the columns had been installed.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="Tribune-Pillars-1904" /><ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53" /> Work also began in 1903 on the crossing ceiling, which was to contain "[[Guastavino tile]]s" designed by Spanish architect [[Rafael Guastavino]].<ref name="NYCL p. 10" />

The board of trustees implemented a new charter in early 1904, which provided for greater representation of laypeople on the board.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1904/03/23/archives/new-charter-for-protestant-cathedral-adopted-by-the-trustees-of-st.html|title=New Charter For Protestant Cathedral; Adopted by the Trustees of St. John the Divine|date=March 23, 1904|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1905, with $800,000 available for construction, the trustees anticipated that the cathedral would be completed within a decade.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/05/28/archives/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-taking-new-start-with-the-king.html|title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine Taking New Start; With the King Bequest of $100,000 There Is Practically $800,000 Available for Pushing the Work|date=May 28, 1905|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The church's great organ was ordered from [[Skinner Organ Co.|Skinner]] the following year at a cost of $50,000 ({{Inflation|US|50000|1906|r=-4|fmt=eq}}), following a gift by the Morton family.<ref name="NYTimes-Organ-1906">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1906/03/07/archives/great-organ-ordered-for-new-cathedral-will-be-among-worlds-most.html|title=Great Organ Ordered For New Cathedral; Will Be Among World's Most Powerful Instruments|date=March 7, 1906|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> It was almost completed by 1911 with nearly 7,000 pipes; the cost of the organ had risen to $70,000.<ref name=Diapason-1956-01-01>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/195601TheDiapason.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221025183738/https://www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/195601TheDiapason.pdf |archive-date=October 25, 2022 |url-status=live |title=Looking Back Into the Past |magazine=The Diapason |volume=47 |issue=2 |page=22 |date=January 1, 1956 }}</ref> Work also continued on the exterior walls of the choir and the seven surrounding chapels in the [[apse]], which required {{Convert|100,000|ST|t|abbr=}} of granite. Builders estimated that {{Convert|300,000|ST|t|abbr=}} of stone would have been used for the walls once work was completed.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40022157/|title=The Great Cathedral's Golden Granite|date=July 30, 1905|work=Brooklyn Standard Union|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=18|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> [[Gutzon Borglum]] was commissioned for some of the initial sculptural elements on St. John's, though his relation with the trustees was strained: he destroyed two angels after criticism of his work<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/10/11/archives/sculptor-destroys-his-cathedral-angels-wouldnt-see-them-wrangled.html|title=Sculptor Destroys His Cathedral Angels; Wouldn't See Them Wrangled About and Carted Off|date=October 11, 1905|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and threatened to quit in 1906.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40023526/|title=Church and Religious News and Notes|date=October 5, 1907|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=16|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Because of the delays in construction, members of the public began to question the necessity of constructing such a large cathedral.<ref name="Dolkart pp. 52-53" /> With little progress to show for, public sentiment began to turn against the cathedral. Even the trustees started to have doubts about certain aspects of the plan, criticizing Heins & LaFarge's small staff, their simultaneous involvement in many other projects, slow construction, and cost overruns.<ref name="Dolkart p. 54">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=54}}</ref>

==== Crossing opening and change in design ====
[[File:St John the Divine NY 1911 choir.jpg|thumb|The consecration of the choir, April 19, 1911]]Although Heins died in 1907,<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 401" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1907/09/27/archives/george-lewis-heins-dead-designer-of-the-cathedral-of-st-john-the.html|title=George Lewis Heins Dead; Designer of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine a Victim of Meningitis|date=September 27, 1907|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> LaFarge continued to design the crossing, choir, and apse of St. John's.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /> By then, the architectural preferences of the public were shifting away from the original design.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 401" /><ref name="unfinished" /> Additionally, communication between LaFarge and the trustees were deteriorating,<ref name="Dolkart p. 54" /><ref name="MG p. 120" /> with several trustees calling for LaFarge's removal.<ref name="Dolkart p. 54" /> The choir was covered in 1908, and the crossing was installed the next year.<ref name="Dolkart p. 55">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=55}}</ref> The choir was nearly complete by October 1909, but there were insufficient funds to complete its construction, delaying its opening by at least six months.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1909/10/25/archives/delay-in-new-cathedral-st-johns-the-divine-cant-be-opened-for.html|title=Delay in New Cathedral; St. John's the Divine Can't Be Opened for Months, It Is Said.|date=October 25, 1909|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Tribune-Maintain-1909">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40035142/|title=To Maintain Cathedral|date=October 25, 1909|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=4|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> At that time, St. John's was earning about $24,000 per year and had a $500,000 endowment, while at least $1&nbsp;million was needed to complete construction.<ref name="Tribune-Maintain-1909" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40034262/|title=St. John's Almost Completed|date=November 21, 1909|work=Buffalo Morning News|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=17|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> In March 1911, trustees finally confirmed an opening date of April 19, 1911.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/03/04/archives/choir-of-new-cathedral-fortyeight-voices-for-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Choir of New Cathedral; Forty-eight Voices for St. John the Divine Opening on April 19.|date=March 4, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The first service in the choir and crossing, the [[consecration]] of the choir, occurred as scheduled on that day.<ref name="Hall p. 25" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/04/20/archives/great-cathedral-is-consecrated-320000-toward-completion-of-edifice.html|title=Great Cathedral is Consecrated; $320,000 Toward Completion of Edifice Contributed at Impressive Services|date=April 20, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 56">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=56}}</ref> The completed portions of the cathedral were widely praised, though few newspapers devoted extensive coverage to the event, except the ''[[New York Herald]]''.<ref name="Dolkart p. 56" />

A month after the choir's consecration, the trustees suddenly fired LaFarge, commissioning [[Ralph Adams Cram]] to take LaFarge's place as lead architect of St. John's.<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|pp=22–23|ps=.}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 58">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=58}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Oust-1911" /> The trustees had exercised a clause in their contract with Heins & LaFarge, enabling them to hire another architect if either partner were to die.<ref name="Stern (1983) p. 401" /> LaFarge was not made aware of the matter beforehand, and was only notified via a cable sent by his partner [[Benjamin Wistar Morris (architect)|Benjamin Wistar Morris]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 58" /><ref name="NYTimes-Oust-1911">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/06/21/archives/oust-architect-who-designed-the-cathedral-trustees-of-st-john-the.html|title=Oust Architect Who Designed the Cathedral; Trustees of St. John the Divine Put Ralph Adams Cram in Place of C. Grant La Farge|date=June 21, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The original Byzantine-Romanesque design was changed to a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] design, and Cram was asked to convert many existing features to Gothic style.<ref name="Stern (1983) pp. 401-402">{{harvnb|Stern|Gilmartin|Massengale|1983|ps=.|pp=401–402}}</ref><ref name="Sun-Cram-1911">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40048467/|title=Cram's Cathedral All Gothic|date=June 22, 1911|work=New York Sun|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=3|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Hall p. 24">{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/06/22/archives/cram-will-build-gothic-cathedral-boston-architect-says-he-will.html|title=Cram Will Build Gothic Cathedral; Boston Architect Says He Will Depart from La Farge's Romanesque Design|date=June 22, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The move was criticized in the local media,<ref name="Dolkart p. 58" /> who claimed that the trustees and Cram had been conspiring to eject LaFarge from the lead architect position.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=57}}</ref> However, ''The New York Sun'' reported that Cram had only reluctantly accepted the commission because the trustees had threatened to hire a foreign architect otherwise.<ref name="Sun-Cram-1911" />

Cram presented a master plan for the cathedral close's buildings in October 1911,<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /><ref name="Herald-Plan-1911">{{cite web|url=https://fultonhistory.com/highlighter/highlight-for-xml?altUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%25201911%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%25201911%2520c%2520-%25200438.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https%3A%2F%2Ffultonhistory.com%2FNewspaper%252014%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%25201911%2FNew%2520York%2520NY%2520Herald%25201911%2520c%2520-%25200438.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Shows Plans for Cathedral Houses|date=October 26, 1911|work=New York Herald|via=fultonhistory.com|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> and his revised designs for the main structure were completed in 1913.<ref name="NYCL p. 11">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=11}}</ref><ref name="Sun-Cathedral-1911">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40035701/|title=As The Cathedral May Look|date=June 21, 1911|work=New York Sun|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=33|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=59}}</ref> Regardless, there was still not enough money to complete the cathedral's construction, as the New York Episcopal Diocese Cathedral League had mentioned in 1912 that $5.5&nbsp;million was still needed.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/05/05/archives/ask-for-5500000-to-finish-cathedral-league-devoted-to-raising-st.html|title=Ask for $5,500,000 to Finish Cathedral; League Devoted to Raising St. John the Divine Building Fund Outlines Its Plans.|date=May 5, 1912|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 3, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The diocese was able to construct several structures to the south of the main building (see {{Section link||Cathedral close}}),<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> as part of a plan that had been approved by the trustees in late 1911.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> These structures included the St. Faith's House (1909), Synod House (1911–1913), Cathedral School (1912–1913), and Cathedral House (1912–1914).<ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|pp=62–64}}; {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=1}}</ref> <!-- The cathedral campus hosted the [[General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|General Convention of the Episcopal Church]] the following year.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/40035654/|title=Episcopal General Convention Opened|date=October 8, 1913|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=3|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com}}</ref> -->

==== Nave and north transept ====
[[File:Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NYC (2014) - 48.JPG|thumb|Interior of St. John's nave, facing west toward Amsterdam Avenue entrance|alt=|left]]
By January 1916, Bishop [[David H. Greer]] announced that the diocese would construct St. John's nave and [[narthex]], along with a pair of towers on the western [[Elevation (architecture)|elevation]] of the facade above the narthex. The project would cost $1.5&nbsp;million, even though St, John's only had about $200,000 on hand as of June 1915.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1916/01/27/archives/cathedral-to-build-1500000-nave-bishop-greer-says-trustees-of-st.html|title=Cathedral to Build $1,500,000 Nave; Bishop Greer Says Trustees of St. John the Divine Are Ready for Bids.|date=January 27, 1916|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A groundbreaking ceremony for the nave was held on May 8, 1916.<ref name="Hall p. 25" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40065936/|title=Bishop Starts Cathedral Nave|date=May 9, 1916|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=9|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1916/05/09/archives/ground-is-broken-for-3000000-nave-imposing-ceremonies-mark-the.html|title=Ground is Broken For $3,000,000 Nave; Imposing Ceremonies Mark the Start of Work on St. John Cathedral Building|date=May 9, 1916|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> That November, construction stopped due to material and funding shortages during [[World War I]],<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1916/11/19/archives/halt-work-at-cathedral-cash-is-needed-to-finish-nave-of-st-john-the.html|title=Halt Work at Cathedral; Cash Is Needed to Finish Nave of St. John the Divine.|date=November 19, 1916|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40066626/|title=Work on Nave to Go On|date=November 20, 1916|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=7|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 66">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=66}}</ref> and the trustees had decided against raising funds until after the war.<ref name="Tribune-Funds-1919">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40068301/|title=Campaign to Raise $6,000,000 for Completion of Cathedral of St. John the Divine Decided Upon|date=April 13, 1919|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=15|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Cram edited his plans in the interim.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> In February 1919, the trustees approved Cram's revised plan to incorporate a memorial for soldiers.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/02/11/archives/resume-cathedral-work-nave-of-st-john-the-divine-to-be-a-memorial.html|title=Resume Cathedral Work; Nave of St. John the Divine to be a Memorial to New York Soldiers.|date=February 11, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The new plans required $5–6&nbsp;million, but would make St. John's the [[List of largest church buildings|third- or fourth-largest worldwide]].<ref name="Tribune-Funds-1919" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1919/02/26/archives/to-start-work-soon-on-st-johns-nave-plans-adopted-will-make-it.html|title=To Start Work Soon on St. John's Nave; Plans Adopted Will Make It Third Largest Cathedral in the World|date=February 26, 1919|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The cathedral did not yet have the money to build the nave, and furthermore, in 1920 the trustees decided not to hold fundraising drives for said purpose.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1920/05/02/archives/cathedral-plans-no-drive-funds-for-nave-of-st-john-the-divine-to-be.html|title=Cathedral Plans No Drive; Funds for Nave of St. John the Divine to be Raised Otherwise.|date=May 2, 1920|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Because of an unstable economy, work did not resume for another four years,<ref name="Dolkart p. 66" /> though both Greer and Bishop [[Charles Sumner Burch]] supported the project.<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23" />

In 1923, Burch's successor [[William T. Manning]] announced a $15&nbsp;million capital campaign to raise money for this project.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1923/06/20/archives/drive-to-complete-cathedral-opens-plan-to-make-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Drive to Complete Cathedral Opens; Plan to Make St. John the Divine Largest Edifice of English-Speaking World|date=June 20, 1923|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 13, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The New York campaign committee, headed by [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], campaigned from 1923 to 1925 to raise $6&nbsp;million ({{Inflation|US|6000000|1924|r=-6|fmt=eq}}).<ref>{{cite book |title=Proceedings of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution at the Annual Meeting held December 11, 1924 |date=November 18, 1924 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution |location=Washington, D.C. |pages=639–640 |chapter=Letter from Franklin D. Roosevelt to Dr. Charles D. Walcott |chapter-url=https://transcription.si.edu/transcribe/11810/SIA-SIA_000001_BORMTG_1920-1931_195}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | editor-last=Adler | editor-first=Ruth | title=The Working Press: Special to the New York Times | publisher=Arno Press | year=1981 | isbn=978-0-405-13783-9 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqdRt5HSzwEC&pg=PA155 | access-date=November 1, 2019 | pages=155–160}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 67">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=67}}</ref> By May 1924, Manning announced that $2.5&nbsp;million had been donated within the previous three months, and that work on the nave would soon begin if that rate of donation were to continue.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40068459/|title=Bishop to Start Cathedral Work|date=May 25, 1924|work=[[Brooklyn Times-Union]]|access-date=December 4, 2019|page=15|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> St. John's was seeking price estimates for the nave's construction by that November,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1924/10/20/archives/cathedral-board-seeks-bids-on-nave-four-firms-asked-to-submit.html|title=Cathedral Board Seeks Bids on Nave; Four Firms Asked to Submit Figures for Main Portion of St. John the Divine.|date=October 20, 1924|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the [[baptistery]] was donated the same year.<ref name="Dolkart p. 66" /> Some $7.7&nbsp;million had been raised by February 1925,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/02/24/archives/fund-for-cathedral-over-half-raised-new-donations-of-657805.html|title=Fund for Cathedral Over Half Raised; New Donations of $657,805 Announced at Rally Make Total $7,663,200|date=February 24, 1925|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the laying of the nave's cornerstone occurred on November 9, 1925.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/11/09/archives/cathedral-stone-will-be-laid-today-gov-smith-and-other-notables.html|title=Cathedral Stone Will Be Laid Today; Gov. Smith and Other Notables Will Speak at Nave at St. John the Divine|date=November 9, 1925|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40073703/|title=Nave Stone Laid for Cathedral|date=November 10, 1925|work=Brooklyn Times-Union|access-date=December 4, 2019|page=37|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Manning wanted the cathedral to be an interdenominational place of worship, but was still reluctant to add other denominations' members to the board of trustees.<ref name="Dolkart p. 68">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=68}}</ref> Notably, Manning rejected a request from [[John D. Rockefeller Jr.]], a Baptist,<ref name="Dolkart pp. 70-71">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|pp=70–71}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1925/02/15/archives/bishop-to-report-on-cathedral-drive-statement-will-be-made-at.html|title=Bishop to Report on Cathedral Drive|date=February 15, 1925|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 27, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> despite the latter's $500,000 donation toward the cathedral's building fund.<ref name="Dolkart pp. 70-71" />

In January 1927, Manning announced that the trustees had approved Cram's proposal for a square tower above the crossing; the tower would replace the dome, which did not conform to the Gothic style. With sides of {{Convert|60|ft||abbr=}}, the tower would be half as wide as the arches below it.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/01/15/archives/cathedral-tower-problem-is-solved-trustees-accept-design-hailed-as.html|title=Cathedral Tower Problem is Solved; Trustees Accept Design, Hailed as American Contribution to Gothic Architecture|date=January 15, 1927|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Cram's blueprint revisions, published in 1929, entailed building the {{Convert|300|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} square tower over the crossing, and adding two portals to the western elevation.<ref name="MG p. 120" /><ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Additionally, St. John's northern transept began construction in December 1927.<ref name="Dolkart p. 67" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/12/06/archives/womens-transept-begun-at-st-johns-ceremonies-mark-the-breaking-of.html|title=Women's Transept Begun at St. John's; Ceremonies Mark the Breaking of Ground for $1,000,000 Unit of the Cathedral|date=December 6, 1927|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Since the funds for that transept were donated solely by women, it was called the Women's Transept.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Work on the Women's Transept was halted in October 1930 due to a lack of funds.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/11/08/archives/cathedral-work-will-be-resumed-building-of-womens-transept-halted.html|title=Cathedral Work Will Be Resumed; Building of Women's Transept, Halted in 1930, to Continue Soon, Manning Announces|date=November 8, 1934|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/40075979/|title=Funds to Complete Transept Available|date=November 8, 1934|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=12|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com}}</ref> Construction at St. John's was otherwise unaffected by the [[Great Depression]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 68" /> During this duration, work was concentrated mainly on the western elevation.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1930/12/28/archives/1300000-job-let-on-cathedral-work-bishop-manning-says-project-will.html|title=$1,300,000 Job Let on Cathedral Work; Bishop Manning Says Project Will Extend Massive Facade to Enclose Great Nave|date=December 28, 1930|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

When construction of the Women's Transept resumed in 1934, the nave and the western elevation were nearly complete except for the two towers above the western facade, but work on the crossing tower and south transept had yet to commence.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1934/07/08/archives/cathedral-needs-10000000-more-bishop-manning-reveals-total-sum.html|title=Cathedral Needs $10,000,000 More; Bishop Manning Reveals Total Sum Necessary to Complete St. John the Divine Edifice|date=July 8, 1934|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1938, the nave was completed, but the temporary construction wall between the nave and crossing was still in place because the Byzantine-Romanesque crossing's design had yet to be harmonized with the Gothic nave.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1938/01/03/archives/1000000-is-asked-to-rush-cathedral-manning-appeals-for-aid-in.html|title=$1,000,000 Is Asked to Rush Cathedral; Manning Appeals for Aid in Getting St. John's Ready by Time Fair Opens|date=January 3, 1938|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> As such, Cram subsequently replaced the portions of the ceiling above the choir and the apse's eastern section. Additionally, the nave started to be used for services, even though it had not yet been dedicated.<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23" /> The 1939 ''[[WPA Guides|WPA Guide to New York City]]'' stated that $20&nbsp;million had been spent on the cathedral by then.<ref name="fednyc p. 381">{{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|p=381}}</ref>

=== Full-length opening and expansion ===
[[File:The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine - New York - USA - panoramio (1).jpg|thumb|Southern elevation of the facade]]
The full {{Convert|601|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} length of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine was opened for the first time on November 30, 1941.<ref name="Dolkart p. 68" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/11/28/archives/full-vista-at-st-johns-cathedral-revealed-at-preview-of-opening.html|title=Full Vista at St. John's Cathedral Revealed at Preview of Opening; 60-Foot Curtains Drawn Apart Disclose an Expanse of a Tenth of a Mile|date=November 28, 1941|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="BDE-Open-1941">{{cite news|url=https://bklyn.newspapers.com/clip/40081406/|title=15,000 Join in Service At St. John's Cathedral|date=December 1, 1941|work=Brooklyn Daily Eagle|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=13|via=Brooklyn Public Library; newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 24">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=24|ps=.}}</ref> At that time, St. John's was only three-fifths completed, yet it was the second-largest Christian church in the world by area, behind only [[St. Peter's Basilica]] in Vatican City.<ref name="MG p. 120">{{harvnb|Macrae-Gibson|1979|ps=.|p=120}}</ref><ref name="BDE-Open-1941" /> The event was commemorated with a week-long celebration.  The last day of the celebrations, Sunday December 7, 1941, coincided with Japan's attack on [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbor]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1941/12/08/archives/1000-at-cathedral-take-communion-record-gathering-participates-as.html|title=1,000 At Cathedral Take Communion; Record Gathering Participates as St. John the Divine Ends Week of Celebration|date=December 8, 1941|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 29, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>   With the consequent [[American entry into World War II|entry of the United States into World War II]], work on the cathedral stopped. The southern transept and tower had yet to start, while the northern transept remained one-third complete.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref name="NYTimes-Needs-1949">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1949/01/30/archives/cathedral-needs-final-10000000-st-john-the-divine-will-be-largest.html|title=Cathedral Needs Final $10,000,000; St. John the Divine Will Be Largest Gothic Structure of Its Kind in the World|date=January 30, 1949|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Dolkart p. 69">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=69}}</ref> The western towers, planned to be {{Convert|266|ft|m|abbr=}}, reached only to the roof of the nave.<ref name="NYTimes-Needs-1949" /> Cram revised his plans yet again just before his 1942 death, this time with shorter western towers and a slim spire in place of the square tower over the crossing.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" />

==== Halt in construction ====
[[File:QueenMotherDonegan.jpg|thumb|Bishop [[Horace W. B. Donegan]] greets [[Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother]] on the steps of the cathedral on the day of the [[Columbia University Bicentennial]], October 31, 1954.]]
Following the end of World War II, St. John's did not experience any more new construction for three decades.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /><ref name="NYCL p. 22">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=22}}</ref> In 1945, Manning had attempted to start a fundraising drive for $10&nbsp;million so that the remaining funds could be raised for the cathedral's completion.<ref name="Dolkart p. 69" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1945/06/04/archives/10000000-sought-to-aid-cathedral-change-in-architectural-design-of.html|title=$10,000,000 Sought to Aid Cathedral; Change in Architectural Design of Cathedral of St. John the Divine|date=June 4, 1945|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, during the late 1940s, his successor Bishop [[Charles Kendall Gilbert]] turned efforts toward alleviating social issues in the vicinity of the cathedral.<ref name="Dolkart p. 69" /><ref name="NYCL p. 22" /> Rather than being focused on expansion, the cathedral became more involved in the surrounding community.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /><ref name="NYCL p. 22" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/22/archives/unfinished-cathedral-hope-to-complete-st-john-the-divine-is-stalled.html|title=Unfinished Cathedral; Hope to Complete St. John the Divine Is Stalled by Changing Role of Church|last=Fiske|first=Edward B|date=November 22, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By that time, a total of $19&nbsp;million had been spent on construction (equivalent to ${{Inflation|index=US|value=19|start_year=1949}} million in {{Inflation-year|index=US}}).<ref name="NYTimes-Needs-1949" /> By the 1950s, there was debate over whether to complete St. John's in the Gothic fashion of the nave; a more contemporary style; or the original Byzantine/Romanesque style.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1955/02/26/archives/cathedral-faces-a-design-problem-to-finish-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Cathedral Faces a Design Problem; To Finish St. John the Divine Involves Choice of Gothic or 'Contemporary' Style|last=Dugan|first=George|date=February 26, 1955|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Several plans were proposed through the early 1960s, but none were examined in depth.<ref name="NYCL p. 22" />

In 1966, it was announced that work at St. John's would resume.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/05/11/archives/cathedral-plans-to-build-again-st-john-the-divine-still-is.html|title=Cathedral Plans to Build Again; St. John the Divine Still Is Unfinished After 25 Years|last=Fiske|first=Edward B|date=May 11, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="MG p. 122">{{harvnb|Macrae-Gibson|1979|ps=.|p=122}}</ref> The trustees had approved a smaller version of the western towers and the crossing,<ref name="NYCL p. 22" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/23/archives/trustees-back-st-johns-cathedral-dome-a-compromise-plan-will.html|title=Trustees Back St. John's Cathedral Dome; A Compromise Plan Will Complete Gothic Edifice|date=November 23, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> with a modern multicolored dome to be built atop the crossing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/11/21/archives/colored-glass-dome-proposed-to-finish-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Colored Glass Dome Proposed to Finish St. John the Divine; Contemporary Dome of Multicolored Glass Proposed for Finishing Cathedral of St. John the Divine|date=November 21, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40084223/|title=Dome Chosen for Cathedral|date=November 23, 1966|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=328|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The project did not proceed, as Bishop [[Horace W. B. Donegan]] said that such work would not occur during his administration; rather, he wanted the construction money to instead go toward helping the poor.<ref name="MG p. 122" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40083917/|title=Aid to N.Y. City Poor to Delay Cathedral Completion|date=October 29, 1967|work=Democrat and Chronicle|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=16|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Work-1973">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/05/21/archives/building-to-resume-at-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Building to Resume at St. John the Divine|last=Blau|first=Eleanor|date=May 21, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In the 1970s, the cathedral's activities turned toward improving quality of life in Morningside Heights; helping the elderly, young, and the environment; and participating in the [[civil rights movement]] and the [[opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War]].<ref name="NYCL p. 23">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=23}}</ref> However, when the Very Reverend [[James Parks Morton]] was installed as St. John's dean in 1973, he said that construction at St. John's would start again.<ref name="NYTimes-Work-1973" /><ref name="NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="MG p. 1232">{{harvnb|Macrae-Gibson|1979|ps=.|p=123}}</ref> Morton said he wanted St. John's to become "a holy place for the whole city".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907577,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081214070907/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,907577,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 14, 2008|title=Religion: A People's Cathedral|date=July 16, 1973|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=May 7, 2011}}</ref> St. John's had become overcrowded because of its increasing focus on community activities, and even though the cathedral was losing $500,000 each year, Morton believed that an expansion would help make space for these extra activities.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/12/11/archives/the-new-st-johns-a-community-catalyst-whirlwind-of-activities.html|title=The 'New' St. John's: A Community Catalyst |last=Blau|first=Eleanor|date=December 11, 1973|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Vecsey | first=George | title=Cathedral. of St. John the Divine Embroiled in Dispute Over School Head's Retirement | website=The New York Times | date=January 8, 1978 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/01/08/archives/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-embroiled-in-dispute-over-school.html | access-date=October 25, 2025}}</ref>

==== Resumption of work ====
[[File:Cathedral of St. John the Divine - Downtown Face.jpg|thumb|The facade of the southern tower, which was expanded in the 1980s and 1990s|alt=|left]]
Morton announced in December 1978 that construction would soon begin on constructing the two western towers, extending their height by {{Convert|150|ft||abbr=}} and bringing their total height to {{Convert|291|ft||abbr=}}.<ref name="NYTimes-Work-1982">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/30/nyregion/st-john-the-divine-the-slow-finishing-touch-an-appraisal.html|title=St. John the Divine: The Slow Finishing Touch; An Appraisal|last=Goldberger|first=Paul|date=September 30, 1982|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The job was expected to cost $20&nbsp;million and take five years.<ref name="NYTimes-Work-1978">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/12/05/archives/construction-of-cathedral-of-st-john-will-resume-construction-on.html|title=Construction of Cathedral of St. John Will Resume|last=Briggs|first=Kenneth A|date=December 5, 1978|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40112336/|title=Building to resume on Cathedral of St. John|date=December 5, 1978|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=9|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> However, by then, there was a shortage of qualified stone carvers in the area.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /> [[James R. Bambridge]], who was hired as the stonemason,<ref name="NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="NYTimes-Work-1978" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40133519/|title=Church construction is testament of faith|date=July 8, 1979|work=Star-Gazette|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=30|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> planned to employ unskilled younger workers from the surrounding community.<ref name="NYTimes-Work-1978" /> Bambridge hired [[Nicholas G. Fairplay]], an English stonemason, as master carver.<ref>{{cite web | title='St. John the Unfinished': Stonemasons Represent Activism, Tradition | website=[[Los Angeles Times]] | date=October 31, 1987 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-10-31-vw-4236-story.html | access-date=January 29, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/29/nyregion/stone-carver-s-magnificent-obsession.html|title=Stone Carver's Magnificent Obsession|date=January 29, 1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 29, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The architect was Hoyle, Doran and Berry, the successor to Cram's architecture firm.<ref name="NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="NYTimes-Work-1978" /><ref name="MG p. 1243">{{harvnb|Macrae-Gibson|1979|ps=.|p=124}}</ref> The expansions would be based primarily on Cram's revised designs, published before his death.<ref name="Dolkart p. 69" /><ref name="MG p. 1232" /> The north transept would be completed, but would remain separate from the main building.<ref name="MG p. 1243" />

Work on the western facade's towers was restarted with the opening of St. John's stone yard, the Cathedral Stoneworks, which received its first several Indiana limestone blocks in June 1979.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /><ref name="NYCL p. 23" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/06/22/archives/work-begins-at-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-after-37-years.html|title=Work Begins at Cathedral of St. John the Divine|last=Daniels|first=Lee A|date=June 22, 1979|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Construction started first on the south tower, named for [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]],<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> which began to rise in 1982.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /><ref name="NYTimes-Work-1982" /> However, the project continued to be delayed due to a shortage of funds, and due to slow development of the towers' designs.<ref name="NYCL p. 23" /> Work also progressed slowly because the stonemasons were carving a myriad of minute details on the south tower.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/03/19/nyregion/about-new-york-taking-the-long-view-of-building-a-cathedral.html|title=About New York; Taking the Long View of Building a Cathedral|last=Geist|first=William E|date=March 19, 1986|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By 1984, St. John's was projected to be complete in 2000.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40134165/|title=World's largest Gothic cathedral 'in process' after century|date=November 22, 1984|work=Democrat and Chronicle|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=140|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Under the leadership of master stone carvers Nicholas Fairplay, [[Simon Verity]], and [[Jean Claude Marchionni]], work on the statuary of the central portal of the cathedral's western elevation was started in 1988<ref name="NYCL p. 23" /><ref name="Quirk p. 34">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=34|ps=.}}</ref> and completed in 1997.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://parabola.org/2013/10/31/seeking-verity/|title=Seeking Verity|last=Cochran|first=Tracy|date=October 31, 2013|website=Parabola|access-date=February 22, 2019}}</ref> During this era, the cathedral expanded its cultural programming, hosting some 140 shows and performances in the 1987–1988 season, some of which drew up to 3,000 observers.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40133810/|title=Culturally, too, Cathedral of St. John is divine|date=April 17, 1988|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=370|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>

By 1992, the construction budget had been depleted; work was halted, and the stone yard was closed.<ref name="NYTimes-Scaffolding-1994" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 70">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=70}}</ref> By then, another {{convert|50|ft||abbr=}} of height had been added to the south tower.<ref name="unfinished" /> While some of the scaffolding was removed,<ref name="NYTimes-Scaffolding-1994">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/20/nyregion/neighborhood-report-morningside-heights-scaffolding-leaving-cathedral-st-john.html|title=Neighborhood Report: Morningside Heights; Scaffolding Leaving the Cathedral of St. John the Divine. More to Come.|last=Bloom|first=Jennifer Kingson|date=November 20, 1994|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> other portions remained, rusting away for fifteen years.<ref name="NYTimes-Scaffolding-2007">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/nyregion/06divine.html|title=A Blossoming Cathedral Tower Sheds Its Scaffolding|last=Dunlap|first=David W|date=November 6, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Very Reverend [[Harry H. Pritchett Jr.]], who succeeded Morton in 1997, decided against further expansion of St. John's, especially since the existing facilities needed $20–40&nbsp;million in repairs.<ref name="unfinished" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 70" />

===21st century===
[[File:St John the Divine NYC - north.jpg|thumb|Seen from the north in 2005, with scaffolding still on the southern tower]]
On December 18, 2001, a fire swept through the unfinished north transept, destroying the gift shop and damaging tapestries.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/19/nyregion/fire-damages-st-john-the-divine-gutting-gift-shop-and-scorching-art.html|title=Fire Damages St. John the Divine, Gutting Gift Shop and Scorching Art|last1=Feuer|first1=Alan|date=December 19, 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|last2=Wakin|first2=Daniel J.|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40146324/|title=Fire hits St. John the Divine|date=December 19, 2001|work=Democrat and Chronicle|access-date=December 6, 2019|page=20|via=newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fire-damages-historic-cathedral/|title=Fire Damages Historic Cathedral|date=December 18, 2001|website=CBS News|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> Despite the damage sustained, St. John's reopened two weeks later.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/06/nyregion/restoring-a-cathedral-to-unfinished-glory-huge-cleanup-for-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Restoring a Cathedral To Unfinished Glory; Huge Cleanup for St. John the Divine|last=Wakin|first=Daniel J|date=February 6, 2002|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Though the [[pipe organ]] was not damaged, all its pipes and other component parts were removed and restored.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/16/nyregion/16organ.html|title=Stop by Stop, Cathedral's Organ Is Reassembled After a 2001 Fire|last=Barron|first=James|date=October 15, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Valuable tapestries and other items in the cathedral were damaged by the smoke.<ref name="NY8">{{cite news|url=http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/30/repaired-after-fire-cathedral-reopens/|title=Repaired After Fire, Cathedral Reopens|last=Chan|first=Sewell|date=November 30, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=July 12, 2009|issn=0362-4331|author-link=Sewell Chan}}</ref> In January 2005, the cathedral began a major restoration to not only remove smoke damage resulting from the 2001 fire, but also clean the 80 years of dirt accumulation in the nave.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/01/nyregion/01cathedral.html|title=Awash in New Light, Angels Are Revealed at St. John the Divine|last=Vitello|first=Paul|date=November 30, 2008|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 24, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The renovations temporarily depleted St. John's funds: the unaffected portions of the cathedral started to deteriorate, staff salary raises were deferred, and several staff positions were eliminated.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/nyregion/thecity/st-john-the-unfinished-becomes-st-john-the-downsized.html|title=St. John the Unfinished Becomes St. John the Downsized|last=Mindlin|first=Alex|date=October 24, 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The scaffolding around the south tower was removed in 2007,<ref name="NYTimes-Scaffolding-2007" /> and the cathedral was rededicated on November 30, 2008.<ref name="NY8" />

The cathedral's main building was made a city landmark in June 2003, but the designation was overturned that October, since it did not cover the entire cathedral close.<ref name="NYTimes-Landmark-2003">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/25/nyregion/no-landmark-status-for-st-john-the-divine.html|title=No Landmark Status for St. John the Divine|last=Hu|first=Winnie|date=October 25, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 20, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> At the same time, St. John's officials wanted to lease out the lots at the northern and southern borders of the cathedral close for further development, a move that preservationists unsuccessfully attempted to prevent.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/27/nyregion/big-buildings-planned-on-grounds-of-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Big Buildings Planned on Grounds of St. John the Divine|last=Dunlap|first=David W|date=June 27, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Ultimately, two residential buildings were erected on these lots: [[Avalon Morningside Park]] on the southern lot and the Enclave<ref name="Handel Enclave">{{Cite web|url=https://handelarchitects.com/project/enclave-at-the-cathedral|website=Handel Architects|title=Enclave at the Cathedral}}</ref> on the northern lot.<ref name="McKeoghRentalBldgs">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/realestate/new-rentals-steps-from-st-john-the-divine.html|title=New Rentals Steps From St. John the Divine|last1=McKeogh|first1=Tim|date=November 20, 2016|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 21, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref name="Curbed-Rentals-2015">{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/9/21/9919456/rentals-hiding-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-nearly-complete|title=Rentals Hiding Cathedral of St. John the Divine Nearly Complete|last=Rosenberg|first=Zoe|date=September 21, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=October 21, 2019}}</ref> In 2017, the cathedral close was re-designated a city landmark, except for the two new residential buildings.<ref name="Curbed-Landmark-2017">{{Cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2017/2/21/14690792/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-landmark-status-nyc|title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine finally becomes a NYC landmark|last=Rosenberg|first=Zoe|date=February 21, 2017|website=Curbed NY|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref> The next year, the first phase of the north transept's renovation was finally completed,<ref name="StJ-History" /><!-- The completed north transept includes an entrance with a set of staircases between the two parts of the Enclave development.<ref>{{cite web | title=St. John the Divine's North Transept Enclosure and – Market Insight | website=CityRealty | date=December 2017 | url=https://www.cityrealty.com/nyc/market-insight/features/future-nyc/st-john-divine039s-north-transept-project-nears-completion/14942 | access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref> --> and work began on a renovation of the crypt.<ref name="NYTimes-Crypt-2018">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/30/nyregion/secret-doorways-gargoyles-and-wood-carved-angels-cleaning-out-the-cathedral-basement.html|title=Secret Doorways, Gargoyles and Wood-Carved Angels: Cleaning Out the Cathedral Basement|last=Stapinski|first=Helene|date=August 30, 2018|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

On April 14, 2019, a small fire occurred in the crypt; except for smoke damage, the cathedral building was mostly unaffected.<ref name="NYTimes-Fire-2019">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/14/nyregion/st-john-the-divine-fire.html|title=Fire in Basement Crypt at St. John the Divine Forces Palm Sunday Worshipers Outside|last=Ferré-Sadurní|first=Luis|date=April 14, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 25, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-cathedral-fire-palm-sunday-st-john-the-divine-20190416-n5itsidfenbypojmfamqgmfapa-story.html|title=Crypt fire disrupts Palm Sunday services at Cathedral of St. John the Divine|last1=Elizalde|first1=Elizabeth|last2=Annese|first2=John|date=April 15, 2019|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=December 6, 2019}}</ref> Many artworks stored in the crypt were reportedly damaged or destroyed in the fire. An initial cleaning removed smoke damage from the bottom 10 feet of the interior of the cathedral.<ref name="St. Johns Fall 2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ-FALL-2019-1570037380.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ-FALL-2019-1570037380.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Fall 2019 at the Cathedral|date=Fall 2019|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|access-date=November 25, 2019|volume=15|issue=76}}</ref> A cleaning of the rest of the interior was also ongoing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/17/arts/design/st-john-the-divine-cathedral-fire.html|title=St. John the Divine Cathedral Is in Recovery Mode|last=Margolies|first=Jane|date=September 17, 2019|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> [[Ennead Architects]] proposed erecting a copper dome above the crossing so that the crossing's tiles could be rehabilitated.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20190326/1047-Amsterdam-Avenue.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www1.nyc.gov/assets/lpc/downloads/pdf/presentation-materials/20190326/1047-Amsterdam-Avenue.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Crossing Dome Roof: NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission Public Hearing|last=Ennead Architects|author-link=Ennead Architects|date=March 26, 2019|website=nyc.gov|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]}}</ref><ref name="Yimby-Dome-2019">{{Cite web|url=https://newyorkyimby.com/2019/03/copper-dome-proposed-for-st-john-the-divine-heads-to-landmarks-for-approval.html|title=Copper Dome Proposed for St. John the Divine Heads to Landmarks for Approval|last=Morris|first=Sebastian|date=March 26, 2019|website=New York YIMBY|access-date=November 30, 2019}}</ref>  The restoration of the dome was completed in 2022.<ref name="nyt20221212" /> The New York City government gave the cathedral a $1.5 million grant in August 2024 to convert Synod Hall into a community center.<ref>{{cite web | last=Blair | first=Leonardo | title=NYC grants Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine $1.5M | website=Church & Ministries | date=August 21, 2024 | url=https://www.christianpost.com/news/nyc-grants-cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine-15m.html | access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Ginsburg | first=Aaron | title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine gets $1.5M grant to transform historic building into community hub | website=6sqft | date=August 20, 2024 | url=https://www.6sqft.com/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-gets-1-5m-grant-to-transform-historic-building-into-community-hub/ | access-date=September 11, 2024}}</ref> A restoration of the organ, which had been damaged in the 2019 fire, was completed in December 2024.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Barron |first=James |date=2024-12-13 |title=In New York and Paris, Church Organs Return to Life |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/nyregion/st-john-the-divine-notre-dame-organs.html |access-date=2025-02-01 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=December 12, 2024 |title=Great organ back in commission at NYC's Cathedral of St. John the Divine |url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/great-organ-back-in-commission-at-nycs-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine/6065882/ |access-date=February 1, 2025 |website=NBC New York}}</ref>

== Main structure ==
[[File:The Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.jpg|thumb|View of the western elevation from across Amsterdam Avenue to the west]]
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is located at 1047 [[Tenth Avenue (Manhattan)|Amsterdam Avenue]] in [[Morningside Heights, Manhattan]], between [[110th Street (Manhattan)|West 110th Street]] (also known as Cathedral Parkway) to the south and 113th Street to the north. The cathedral's main entrance on the west is along the same axis as 112th Street. Adjacent sites include [[Mount Sinai Morningside]] (formerly St. Luke's Hospital) to the north, [[Columbia University]]'s Morningside Heights campus to the north and west, and [[Morningside Park (Manhattan)|Morningside Park]] to the east.<ref>{{Cite NYC neighborhood map|Morningside Heights}}</ref> One of the key reasons for St. John's location is that the land under it was described as the "highest point in Manhattan".<ref name="Project Canterbury" /><ref name="MG p. 120" />{{efn|However, St. John's is not literally at the highest point in Manhattan. That distinction belongs to [[Bennett Park (New York City)|Bennett Park]] in [[Hudson Heights, Manhattan|Hudson Heights]], {{convert|265|ft}} above sea level.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/nyregion/28fyi.html|title=Manhattan Highs and Your Permanent Record|last=Pollak|first=Michael|date=February 26, 2010|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 30, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>}} One author wrote that "the view from outside tells much about St. John's inner spirit", saying that the southeastern elevation of the facade gives an impression of incompleteness, while the great western elevation was "vitalized by its incipience".<ref>{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=30|ps=.}}</ref>

St. John's is oriented west–east relative to the street grid<ref name="Quirk p. 33" />{{efn|The street grid, as laid out in the [[Commissioners' Plan of 1811]], is rotated about 29 degrees clockwise from true compass west and east.<ref>{{cite book | last=Koeppel | first=Gerard | title=City on a grid : how New York became New York | publisher=Da Capo Press, a member of the Perseus Books Group | location=Boston, MA | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-306-82284-1 | oclc=902657028 | page=45}}</ref>}} and was originally supposed to have a [[cruciform]] plan, with [[transept]]s extending to the north and south of the crossing near the eastern end of the cathedral.<ref name="NYCL p. 12">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=12}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Hall|1920|p=13|ps=.}}</ref> The entire structure measures {{convert|601|ft|m}} long.<ref name="NYTimes-Work-1978" /> From west to east, the cathedral contains a narthex measuring {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} long by {{Convert|207|ft||abbr=}} wide; a nave of {{Convert|248|by|146|ft|abbr=}}; a crossing of {{Convert|100|by|100|ft|abbr=}}; a choir of {{Convert|145|by|56|ft|abbr=}}; and the Chapel of St. Savior in the apse, measuring {{Convert|58|ft||abbr=}} with an [[ambulatory]] {{Convert|14|ft|abbr=}} wide. The cathedral's western elevation is {{Convert|207|ft||abbr=}} wide;<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> if the transepts had been completed, they would have measured {{Convert|330|ft||abbr=}} from end to end.<ref name="fednyc p. 381"/><ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> The cathedral has an interior floor area of {{Convert|121000|ft2||abbr=}} and can host 8,600 people.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref>{{harvnb|Hall|1920|p=191|ps=.}}</ref> {{As of|2024||df=}}, these dimensions make St. John's the fourth-largest Christian cathedral in the world and puts it in competition with [[Liverpool Cathedral]] as being the world's largest Anglican cathedral.{{efn|name=size|This distinction depends on which dimensions are considered. For a discussion on the matter of size, see {{Harvard citation no brackets|Quirk|1993|pp=15–16|ps=.}}}}

The original design for the cathedral was created by [[Heins & LaFarge]].<ref name="Hall p. 24" /> Despite being primarily [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] and [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] in influence, the last version of Heins & LaFarge's design contained a significantly Gothic-style appearance.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref name="NYTimes-Plans-1927">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/01/30/archives/transformation-of-a-great-cathedral-plans-for-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Transformation of a Great Cathedral; Plans for St. John the Divine Undergo a Change In the Direction of Pure Gothic|last=Brock|first=H. j|date=January 30, 1927|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The original plan at St. John's called for tiled-arch domes and [[barrel vault]]s. The crossing was to be held up by four round arches under a dome, with a tower on top.<ref name="NYCL p. 8" /> The completed cathedral was supposed to have been {{Convert|520|ft||abbr=}} long and {{Convert|290|ft||abbr=}} wide between transepts, while the tower would have been {{Convert|450|ft||abbr=}} tall.<ref name="NYTimes-Charms-1896" />

The modern plan for the building, as it appeared upon its official opening in 1941, conforms primarily to the second design campaign from the prolific [[Gothic revival|Gothic Revival]] architect [[Ralph Adams Cram]]. The plans are based on the French Gothic style, with English Gothic accents.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="NYTimes-Plans-1927" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 60">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=60}}</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 34" /> Cram had initially wanted to use English Gothic models, which typically placed less emphasis on vertical elements and height, and which contrasted with the extant parts of the cathedral.<ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 60" /> Cram's plan originally called for three main entrances; two {{Convert|500|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} spires set back from the western facade; two smaller spires on the western facade. Inside were ten full-height aisles, with a [[triforium]] and [[clerestory]] rising to the ceiling, as well as large chapels along each side of the nave.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref name="Sun-Cathedral-1911" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 60" /> The design provides a transition between the nave and the crossing, because the nave was to be {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} wide, about half the width of the crossing.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref>{{Cite New York 1930|page=156}}</ref> Cram, described as a "brilliant perfectionist", frequently revised his proposal and later spoke of Heins & LaFarge's plans as better than his own.<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23" /> One major change, published in 1926, called for a {{Convert|300|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}}, square tower above the crossing and five portals on the western elevation.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /> Another revision was published just before he died in 1942, and called for a spire above the crossing.<ref name="NYCL p. 11" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 60" /> Cram's designs were not fully built, either.<ref name="Unfinished-name"/> The Cathedral of St. John the Divine remains only two-thirds complete<ref name="NYCAGO-StJ"/> and is often nicknamed ''St. John the Unfinished''.<ref name="NYTimes-Scaffolding-1994" /><ref name="Unfinished-name">See:
* {{cite book|title=Houses of God : region, religion, and architecture in the United States|last=Williams|first=Peter|publisher=University of Illinois Press|year=2000|isbn=978-0-252-06917-8|location=Urbana, IL|page=68|oclc=47361692}}
* {{cite book | last=McFarlan | first=Donald | title=1990 Guinness Book of World Records | publisher=Sterling | location=New York | year=1989 | isbn=978-0-8069-5790-6 | oclc=20612099 | page=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessbookofwo00don_0e9/page/267 267]| title-link=Guinness World Records }}
* {{cite journal|last=Hutchison|first=William R|date=December 1998|title=Houses of God|journal=Church History|volume=67|pages=807–809|number=4|doi=10.2307/3169900|jstor=3169900|s2cid=162550176 }}</ref> {{As of|2025}}, no major construction work was ongoing; according to the cathedral's website, its funds were being used mainly "to prioritize serving the community through our programming and social initiatives, and to maintaining the architectural integrity of the Cathedral".<ref>{{Cite web |title=About - Cathedral of Saint John the Divine |url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/about |access-date=2025-09-13 |website=www.stjohndivine.org}}</ref>

=== Narthex and western facade ===

==== Narthex ====
[[File:Cathedral of St. John.jpg|Wide angle view of the cathedral's western elevation|thumb]]
The narthex, in the westernmost portion of the cathedral facing Amsterdam Avenue, was designed by Cram.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref name="Hall p. 31" /> His original plans did not include a narthex, instead showing the nave continuing as far as the western facade.<ref name="Quirk p. 39">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=39}}</ref> Inside the narthex is a large vestibule, which serves as an entrance to the nave on the east.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> The vestibule measures {{Convert|180|ft||abbr=}} along the north–south axis and {{Convert|85|ft||abbr=}} along the west–east axis.<ref name="Quirk p. 39" /> The southern part of the narthex contains the cathedral's gift shop.<ref name="StJ-History" />

Above the narthex are two towers: one named for [[Saint Peter]] to the north and the other named for [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]] to the south.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref name="Hall p. 31">{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=31}}</ref> The north tower reaches to the roof of the nave, which is {{convert|177|ft|m|abbr=}} above ground level;<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> the south tower is about {{Convert|50|ft||abbr=}} taller, with the additional height having been built between 1982 and 1992.<ref name="unfinished" /> If the towers had been completed, they would have been about {{convert|266|ft}} tall.<ref name="fednyc p. 381"/><ref name="NYTimes-Needs-1949" /> The towers protrude slightly from the northern and southern elevations of the facade but are flush with the western elevation.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> On the northern and southern facades of the narthex, at the base of the towers, are stained glass windows, one on each side.<ref name="Quirk p. 40">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=40}}</ref>

==== Western facade<span class="anchor" id="West front"></span> ====
The narthex abuts the unfinished western elevation of the facade facing Amsterdam Avenue; this facade is {{Convert|207|ft||abbr=}} wide and consists of five architectural [[Bay (architecture)|bays]].<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref name="Quirk p. 33">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=33|ps=.}}</ref> The bays are separated by large arched [[buttress]]es with [[finial]]s at their tops, and they contain niches for the possible future installation of statues. The western elevation is divided into four vertical tiers. From bottom to top, they are the ground-level portals, on the first tier; the [[Gallery (theatre)|gallery]] level, on the second tier; the large [[rose window]] and several smaller [[grisaille]] and [[lancet window]]s, on the third tier; and the top of the south tower and the [[gable]] above the center bay, on the fourth tier.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" />

At ground level, there are five portals under arched openings.<ref name="MG p. 120" /><ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> The largest of those is the center portal, called the Portal of Paradise, which contains carvings of the [[transfiguration of Jesus]] as well as St. John and 32 biblical characters;<ref name="Fodors 2006">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9WsusSt5oZIC&pg=PA150|title=New York City|publisher=Fodor's Travel Publications|year=2006|isbn=978-1-4000-1680-8|series=Fodor's 2008|pages=150–151|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref> these were carved in 1988 under Simon Verity's leadership.<ref name="Quirk p. 34" /> St. John is depicted on the [[Trumeau (architecture)|trumeau]], or vertical pier, between the two pairs of doors within the center portal.<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> The center portal also contains depictions of New York City skyscrapers being destroyed in an apocalypse.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-this-apocalyptic-nyc-church-facade-depicts-city-collapsing-beneath-giant-waves-nuclear-explosion|title=Photos: This Apocalyptic NYC Church Facade Depicts City Collapsing Beneath Giant Waves & Nuclear Explosion|last=Carlson|first=Jen|date=October 12, 2017|website=Gothamist|access-date=December 7, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191207215230/https://gothamist.com/arts-entertainment/photos-this-apocalyptic-nyc-church-facade-depicts-city-collapsing-beneath-giant-waves-nuclear-explosion|archive-date=December 7, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The center, northernmost, and southernmost portals are set within large, gabled structures with several [[archivolt]]s, or arched moldings, surrounding each portal under the gables; porches overhang the portals above the gables. The other two portals are located under simple rectangular canopy structures,<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /><ref name="Quirk p. 34" /> located underneath grisaille windows looking into the nave.<ref name="Quirk p. 40" /> Lights salvaged from the former [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Pennsylvania Station]] illuminate the steps in front of the portals.<ref name="Quirk p. 34" />

Above the center portal, between the towers, is a rose window installed by stained glass artist [[Charles Jay Connick|Charles Connick]] and constructed out of 10,000 pieces of glass.<ref name="Fodors 2006" /><ref name="NYCL p. 13" /><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VExXAAAAMAAJ|title=Creative Art: A Magazine of Fine and Applied Art |last1=Kent |first1=R. |last2=Simonson |first2=L. |last3=McBride |first3=H. |last4=Blossom |first4=F.A. |publisher=A. and C. Boni, incorporated|year=1932|page=93|access-date=December 8, 2019|issue=v. 11}}</ref> With a diameter of {{Convert|40|ft||abbr=}},<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> the rose window is the largest rose window in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sacred-destinations.com/usa/new-york-city-cathedral-st-john-the-divine|title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine, New York City|date=July 26, 2010|publisher=Sacred Destinations|access-date=January 17, 2013}}</ref> Flanking the rose window on either side are two grisaille windows, each with two lancet windows under a smaller rose. The seven [[archangel]]s are depicted in the north grisaille, while the [[seven churches of Asia]] are depicted in the south grisaille.<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> Connick had designed the grisailles as well.<ref name="NYCL p. 26" /> On the gable above the large rose window, there are lancets as well as a medallion in the middle.<ref name="NYCL p. 13" />

[[File:Right hand bronze door at the Cathedral of St John the Divine, New York.jpg|thumb|150px|The right-hand bronze doors in the center portal|alt=]]

{{Anchor|Great west doors}}The two pairs of great west doors on the western elevation, set beneath the elaborate center portal, were designed between 1927 and 1931 by the designer [[Henry Wilson (architect)|Henry Wilson]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Henry Wilson : practical idealist|last=Manton|first=Cyndy|publisher=Lutterworth Press|year=2009|isbn=978-0-7188-3097-7|location=Cambridge|oclc=297148674}}</ref><ref name="Lankevich 2003 p. 86">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zgWBEgbkadcC&pg=PA86|title=Postcards from Manhattan: Sights & Sentiments from the Last Century|last=Lankevich|first=G.J.|publisher=Square One Publishers |year=2003|isbn=978-0-7570-0101-7|series=Postcards From... Series|page=86|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=73xfDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA2053|title=Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States |last1=Kurian |first1=G.T. |last2=Lamport |first2=M.A. |last3=Marty |first3=M.E. |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers|year=2016|isbn=978-1-4422-4432-0|page=2053|access-date=December 7, 2019|issue=v. 5}}</ref> The bronze doors include a sequence of 60 relief panels, which presents scenes from the Old and New Testaments and the Apocalypse.<ref name="Quirk p. 34" /><ref name="Lankevich 2003 p. 86" /> The doors open three times per year: [[Easter]]; [[Francis of Assisi|St. Francis]]'s feast day in October; and the "blessing of the bicycles" in the spring.<ref name="Fodors 2006" /> They comprise one of four bronze-door commissions designed by Wilson before his death.{{efn|The other three are at [[St Bartholomew's Church, Brighton]]; [[St Mary's Church, Nottingham]]; and [[Salada Tea Company]], Boston.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3pdlCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA282|title=Parish Church Treasures: The Nation's Greatest Art Collection|last1=Goodall|first1=J.|last2=Barker|first2=P.|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|year=2015|isbn=978-1-4729-1765-2|page=282|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Olia | first=M. | title=No Access Boston: Beantown's Hidden Treasures, Haunts, and Forgotten Places | publisher=Globe Pequot | year=2019 | isbn=978-1-4930-3594-6 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p--YDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA161 | access-date=March 8, 2020 | page=161}}</ref>}} St. John's great west doors were the last of the four commissions, each pair measuring some {{convert|18|x|12|ft}}.<ref name="Quirk p. 34" /><ref name="NYCL p. 13" /> The remaining doors on the western elevation are composed of Burmese [[teak]] with [[wrought iron]] decoration.<ref name="fednyc p. 381"/><ref name="NYCL p. 13" />

=== Nave ===
[[File:St John the Divine 4 (4684757815).jpg|upright=0.9|thumb|Exterior of the nave. Two of the double bays can be seen here, with four columns of windows in total. At center is a large arched buttress, while smaller buttresses to the left and right separate each set of double bays.|left]]
The nave was designed by Cram, though the final plan is slightly modified from the original.<ref name="MG p. 120" /> It is oriented from west to east,<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /> measuring {{Convert|248|ft|abbr=}} long by {{Convert|146|ft||abbr=}} wide.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> The ceiling is {{Convert|124|ft||abbr=}} above ground level,<ref name="fednyc p. 382">{{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|p=382}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes-Fire-2019" /><ref name="Quirk p. 42">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=42}}</ref> but the ridge of the roof is {{convert|174|ft}} high.<ref name="NYCL p. 12" /> These dimensions are about the same as in the original plans, which called for floor dimensions of {{Convert|260|by|150|ft|abbr=}}. a {{Convert|175|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} roof, and a {{Convert|125|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} ceiling.<ref name="Hall p. 32">{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|p=32}}</ref>

On the northern and southern elevations, there are four vertical "double bays", each with two columns of windows. Large arched buttresses, with two [[Pier (architecture)|piers]] each, separate the different double bays; smaller buttresses, containing a single pier, divide each double bay into smaller "sub-bays".<ref name="NYCL p. 13">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=13}}</ref> This alternation of large and small buttresses gives the appearance of four double bays with two sub-bays each, rather than eight singular rectangular bays.<ref name="Hall p. 32" /> At the [[Arcade (architecture)|arcade]] level, each of the sub-bays contains an arrangement of stained glass with two [[lancet window]]s under a [[rose window]].<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /> The sub-bays also contain another stained-glass arrangement at [[clerestory]] level, each with two lancet windows and one rose window. The clerestory arrangements each measure {{Convert|45|ft||abbr=}} long by {{Convert|12|ft|m|abbr=}} wide.<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /><ref name="Quirk p. 76">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=76}}</ref> Carved [[parapet]]s, as well as gables with [[dormer]]s, run along the copper roof.<ref name="NYCL p. 14">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=14}}</ref>

Inside, there are six north–south rows of piers, three to either side of the nave.<ref name="fednyc p. 382"/><ref name="Quirk p. 41">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=41}}</ref> These piers divide the nave into five aisles running west to east, with the center aisle located on the same axis as 112th Street.<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /><ref name="Hall p. 32" /><ref name="Quirk p. 41" /> There are four smaller aisles, two to either side of the center aisle.<ref name="Hall p. 32" /> Additionally, the interior contains several [[flying buttress]]es, concealed by "bridges" that carry them over the outermost aisles.<ref name="fednyc p. 382"/><ref name="Quirk p. 41" />

[[File:Fav Blessing Low Rez.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|[[The Blessing of the Bicycles]] in the nave, looking toward the apse]]
There are sixteen sub-bays in the nave, eight on each side; the easternmost sub-bays on either side contain doorways. Each of the bays are named after some aspect of humanity.<ref name="Lankevich 2003 p. 86" /><ref name="NYCL p. 14" /> From west to east, the sub-bays along the northern side of the nave are named the Sports, Arts, Crusaders, Education, Lawyers, Ecclesiastical Origins (Anglican), and Historical and Patriotic Societies' (American), and Fatherhood bays. The sub-bays on the southern side are named the All Souls', Missionary, Labor, Press (Communication), Medical, Religious Life (Earth), Armed Forces (Military), and Motherhood bays.<ref name="NYCL p. 13" /><ref name="StJ-Nave">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/about/nave|title=Nave – Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|website=www.stjohndivine.org|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref> Each of the sub-bays contain carved parapets atop their [[mono-pitched roof]]s.<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /> The sub-bays are used for various exhibits. The iconography of the stained-glass windows in the arcade and clerestory is related to the theme of each respective sub-bay.<ref group="lower-alpha">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=,|pp=43–75}} gives a detailed analysis of the stained glass at arcade level. {{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=,|pp=76–83}} describes the stained glass in the clerestory.</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 41" /> In each sub-bay, between the lower windows and the clerestory windows, is the [[triforium]] level, which contains two west–east corridors with numerous windowless rooms and office spaces.<ref name="Quirk p. 42" />

=== Apse<span class="anchor" id="Choir"></span> ===
The [[apse]], located at St. John's eastern end, is made up of numerous components.<ref name="Hall p. 25" /><ref name="Quirk p. 97">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=97}}</ref> The center of the apse contains the [[choir]], located below the great organ. Two [[ambulatory]] passages run adjacent to the choir, one to the north and the other to the south. Seven chapels, a [[baptistery]], and a [[columbarium]] are also located in the northwestern part of the apse.<ref name="Quirk p. 97" /> The apse contains two sets of clerestory windows: the large ambulatory clerestories with multiple panels, as well as a smaller sanctuary clerestory window above each of the ambulatory clerestories.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=133}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 18" /> The apse's walls are supported by gabled buttresses, which are taller than the height of the walls, and contain niches with statues.<ref name="NYCL p. 18" />

==== Choir ====
[[File:Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NYC (2014) - 18.JPG|thumb|Choir stalls]]
The choir was consecrated in 1911.<ref name="Hall p. 25" /> It consists of two sets of wooden stalls facing each other, with three rows in each stall. The stalls were made by the Philadelphia-based [[John Barber Company]].<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=127}}</ref> The westernmost unit in the southern row of choir stalls is called the "Dean's Stall".<ref name="Quirk p. 128">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=128}}</ref> The roof above the choir is supported by eight columns, each {{Convert|54|ft||abbr=}} tall with a {{Convert|6|ft||abbr=|adj=on}} diameter and a weight of {{Convert|130|ST|LT t|abbr=}}.<ref name="Dolkart p. 512" /><ref name="NYCL p. 10" /><ref name="Engineering News 1903" /><ref name="Quirk p. 131">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=131}}</ref> The columns' foundations descend as much as {{Convert|130|ft||abbr=}} into the bedrock below them.<ref name="Quirk p. 131" />

The parapets behind the two sections of the choir were originally installed in 1922 with twenty niches for statues of the spiritual heroes of the twenty centuries since the [[Nativity of Jesus|birth of Christ]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1922/07/15/archives/historical-parapet-given-to-cathedral-nineteen-statues-represent.html|title=Historical Parapet Given to Cathedral; Nineteen Statues Represent Foremost Workers for World Uplift Since Christ|date=July 15, 1922|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=October 21, 2019}}</ref> For example, the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries are respectively represented by statues of [[William Shakespeare]], [[George Washington]], and [[Abraham Lincoln]]. The niche for the 20th century was left blank through the end of that century.<ref>{{cite journal|date=July 29, 1922|title=A Christian Hall of Fame|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IBQ7AQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA32|journal=[[The Literary Digest]]|volume=74|pages=32–34|number=5}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=132}}</ref> In 2001 the choir parapet was completed with carvings of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], [[Albert Einstein]], [[Susan B. Anthony]], and [[Mohandas Gandhi]] by stonecarver Christopher Pellettieri.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/art-ideas/residencies |title=Residencies |website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine |access-date=May 16, 2023 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230516191444/https://www.stjohndivine.org/art-ideas/residencies |archivedate=May 16, 2023}}</ref> In addition, the finials on both rows of stalls were carved by Otto Jahnsen and depict church-music composers and performers.<ref name="fednyc p. 382"/>

On the floor are tiles designed by the [[Grueby Faience Company]], with geometric patterns and imagery reminiscent of the iconography in other cathedrals.<ref name="Dolkart p. 56" /> A [[compass rose]], the official icon of the [[Anglican Communion]] (in which the Episcopal Church participates), is located on the floor between the two stalls, in the center of the choir.<ref name="Quirk p. 128" />

==== Great Organ ====
The Great Organ was built by [[Ernest M. Skinner]] in 1906–1910.<ref name="NYTimes-Organ-1906" /><ref name="Quirk p. 129">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=129}}</ref><ref name="NYCAGO-StJ">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/StJohnDivine.html|title=The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine – New York City|website=New York City Chapter of the American Guild of Organists|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref> It is located above the choir on the north and south sides, and consists of four [[Manual (music)|manual]] keyboards with several pedals.<ref name="Quirk p. 128" /><ref name="NYCAGO-StJ" /> The opening recital was given in 1911 by [[Clarence Dickinson]].<ref>{{Cite journal |date=June 1, 1911 |title=Dedication At Cathedral – Clarence Dickinson in First Recital on Organ |url=https://www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/191106TheDiapason.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221214180318/https://www.thediapason.com/sites/thediapason/files/191106TheDiapason.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=December 14, 2022 |journal=[[The Diapason]] |volume=2 |issue=7 |page=1 }}</ref> In 1954, it was enlarged by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company, Opus 150-A, under the tonal direction of G. Donald Harrison.<ref name="Quirk p. 129" /><ref name="NYCAGO-StJ" /> The organ contains 8,514 pipes,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1889957941/resurgence-of-a-landmark-instrument-the-restoration|title=Resurgence Of A Landmark Instrument The Restoration Of The Great Organ In The Cathedral Of St. John The Divine, New York City|date=November 2009|website=[[The American Organist]]|archive-date=December 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219003851/https://www.questia.com/magazine/1P3-1889957941/resurgence-of-a-landmark-instrument-the-restoration|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Organ-2008">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/26/nyregion/26organ.html|title=Before Its Debut, Cathedral Organ Has a Sound Check|last=Barron|first=James|date=November 26, 2008|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=October 21, 2019}}</ref> though it previously included 8,035.<ref name="Quirk p. 128" /> While most of the pipes are located above the choir stalls, the Great Organ also controls the State Trumpet, located beneath the rose window about {{Convert|500|ft||abbr=}} to the west.<ref name="Quirk p. 129" /><!-- During this rebuild, the State Trumpet was added and placed below the rose window. Speaking on fifty inches (130 cm) of wind pressure, it is among the most powerful organ stops in the world -->

The 2001 fire in the north transept resulted in heavy smoke damage to the organ, and it was subsequently restored by Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc., of [[Warrensburg, Missouri]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://quimbypipeorgans.com/completed/rebuilt/the-cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine|title=The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine|website=Quimby Pipe Organs, Inc.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422003922/http://quimbypipeorgans.com/completed/rebuilt/the-cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine|archive-date=April 22, 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Organ-2008" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/music/organs/|title=Cathedral Organs|website=The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine}}</ref> After two years of extensive and detailed refurbishment work, including a reorganization of many pipes and a rebuilding of the console, the organ finally returned to service in 2008 as part of an overall $41-million cleaning and repair to the cathedral.<ref name="NYT-Organ-2008" /> The Great Organ was damaged again in the April 2019 crypt fire, and was indefinitely placed out of service pending a thorough cleaning.<ref name="St. Johns Fall 2019" /> While the Great Organ was being restored, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine used an electric organ.<ref name="SJ-Organs"/>

The organists have included:
* Walter Henry Hall (1905<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1905/02/25/archives/sleuths-fooled-the-wizard-palmist-found-himself-under-arrest-after.html|title=Shift-About at Cathedral|date=February 25, 1905|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>–1909<ref name="PI-Hall-1909">{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40779988/|title=Tempest in Musical Teapot|date=May 23, 1909|work=Philadelphia Inquirer|access-date=December 19, 2019|page=10|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>)
* Miles Farrow (1910<ref name="PI-Hall-1909" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/12234115/miles_farrow_called_as_organist_of/|title=Miles Farrow Called|date=May 5, 1909|work=Baltimore Sun|access-date=December 19, 2019|page=7|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>–1931<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40780125/|title=Coke-Jephcott to John Divine|date=November 27, 1931|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 19, 2019|page=646|via=newspapers.com}}</ref>){{efn|name=school-organist|From 1910 to 1990, the organist for the cathedral was also the organist for the Cathedral School.<ref>{{cite web | title=Our History | website=The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine | url=https://www.cathedralnyc.org/about-us/our-history | access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref>}}
* [[Norman Coke-Jephcott]] (1932–1953)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/03/15/archives/cokejephcott-68-organist-is-dead-choirmaster-at-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Coke-Jephcott, 68, Organist, Is Dead; Choirmaster at St. John the Divine From 1932–1953|date=March 15, 1962|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 19, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{efn|name=school-organist}}
* John Upham (interim) (1953–1954){{efn|name=school-organist}}
* Alec Wyton (1954–1974)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/23/arts/music/23wyton.html|title=Alec Wyton, 85, Organist Who Updated Church Music, Is Dead|last=Whitney|first=Craig R|date=March 23, 2007|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 21, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>{{efn|name=school-organist}}
* David Pizzaro (1974–1977){{efn|name=school-organist}}
* [[Paul Halley]] (1977–1990){{efn|name=school-organist}}
* [[Dorothy Papadakos]] (1990–2003)<ref>{{Cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180821160555/http://agohouston2016.com/conference/performers/dorothy-papadakos|url=http://agohouston2016.com/conference/performers/dorothy-papadakos|archive-date=August 21, 2018|publisher=American Guild of Organists|title=Dorothy Papadakos|work=AGO National Convention Program|location=Houston, TX|year=2016|access-date=August 18, 2018}}</ref>
* Timothy Brumfield (2003–2009)<ref>{{cite web | title=Performance Music at Scranton Presents World-Famous Organist In Recital | website=Royal News | date=November 26, 2019 | url=https://news.scranton.edu/articles/2012/02/Organist-In-Recital.shtml | access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref>
* Bruce Neswick (2009–2011<ref name="WSJ-MD-2011">{{Cite web|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2011/07/14/st-john-the-divine-taps-new-music-director/|title=St. John the Divine Taps New Music Director|last=Catton|first=Pia|date=July 14, 2011|website=WSJ|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref>)
* [[Kent Tritle]] (2011<ref name="WSJ-MD-2011" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/a-word-with-kent-tritle/|title=A Word With: Kent Tritle|last=Wakin|first=Daniel J|date=July 15, 2011|website=ArtsBeat|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref>–present<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/music/music-staff/|title=Music Staff – Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|website=www.stjohndivine.org|access-date=December 19, 2019}}</ref>)

==== Sanctuary ====
[[File:St John The Divine Altar.jpg|thumb|Altar|alt=|left]]

Behind the choir, to its east, is the sanctuary (or [[chancel]]), a raised platform.<ref name="Quirk p. 129" /> The chancel includes the high [[altar]], which is made of white Vermont marble.<ref name="Quirk p. 131" /> The [[Magna Carta]] Pedestal—named as such because it is located atop three stones from the [[Bury St Edmunds Abbey]] in England<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ_SUMMER_2015.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ_SUMMER_2015.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Summer 2015 at the Cathedral|date=Summer 2015|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|pages=3|access-date=December 25, 2019}}</ref>—is located to the right, while the [[sedilia]] for the bishop and other clergy is to the left.<ref name="Quirk p. 131" /> The sanctuary also contains the cathedra (or bishop's seat),<ref name="Quirk p. 129" /> donated by [[Olivia Egleston Phelps Stokes]] in memory of her sister [[Caroline Phelps Stokes]].<ref name="Dolkart p. 379">{{harvnb|ps=.|Dolkart|1998|p=379, note 108}}</ref> The bishop's pulpit is made of Tennessee marble, with five niches, each of which contain reliefs that depict scenes from the life of Christ.<ref name="fednyc p. 382" /> A presbytery, which houses the officiating clergy of St. John's, is located between the chancel and the choir.<ref name="Quirk p. 129" /> The [[reredos]] behind the sanctuary depicts four scenes from the Old Testament on the left (north), and four from the New Testament on the right (south).<ref name="fednyc p. 382" />

Behind the altar is a [[wrought iron]] enclosure. The space contains the English Gothic style [[tomb]] of the man who originally conceived and founded the cathedral, [[the Right Reverend]] Horatio Potter,<ref>{{harvnb|Hall|1920|ps=.|pp=51–52}}</ref> which was dedicated in 1921.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/wtmanning/founders_tomb1921.html|title=Sermon at the Dedication of the Founder's Tomb (1921)|website=anglicanhistory.org|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref>

{{Clear left}}

==== Ambulatory and chapels<span class="anchor" id="Chapels"></span> ====
[[File:Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, NYC (2014) - 28.JPG|thumb|One of the chapels]]
An ambulatory, measuring {{Convert|250|ft||abbr=}} long and {{Convert|14|ft||abbr=}} wide, surrounds the choir to the north, east, and south, making a rough "U" shape with the two ends of the "U" facing west.<ref name="fednyc p. 382"/><ref name="Quirk p. 97" /> The floor is covered with red clay-colored tiles that contain green-serpentine borders.<ref name="Quirk p. 97" /> There are {{Convert|30|ft|m|-tall|abbr=|adj=mid}} wrought-steel gates at either end of the ambulatory. Numerous plaques are present in the ambulatory, paying homage to large donors and other notable individuals in St. John's history. A "poetry wall" and several [[Madonna (art)|Madonna]] paintings are also located in the ambulatory, particularly in the southern part of the ambulatory.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|pp=98–99}}</ref>

Extending outward from the ambulatory are seven chapels.<ref name="fednyc p. 382"/><ref name="NYCL p. 14" /><ref name="StJ-Nave" /><ref name="Urban America (Organization) 1920 p. 121">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=o04gAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA121|title=The Architectural Forum|author=Urban America (Organization)|publisher=Billboard Publications|year=1920|page=121|access-date=December 7, 2019|issue=v. 33}}</ref> These chapels are known as the "Chapels of the Tongues",<ref name="Fodors 2006" /><ref name="Quirk p. 97" /><ref name="Urban America (Organization) 1920 p. 121" /> and all were donated by prominent individuals and families.<ref name="Urban America (Organization) 1920 p. 121" /> The chapels were designed by four different architects and firms:<ref name="Quirk p. 97" /> Heins & LaFarge designed two of the chapels,<ref name="Dolkart p. 50" /> while Cram designed a third.<ref name="Quirk pp. 22-23" /> The Chapels of the Tongues were devoted to seven of the city's largest immigrant groups when the apse was completed: the southernmost three chapels represent "Latin races" and the northernmost three chapels represent "Germanic races".<ref name="Dolkart p. 50" /><ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p2o_AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA341|title=Glimpses of Old New-York|last=Brown|first=H.C.|publisher=Privately printed for the subscribers Lent & Graff Company|year=1917|pages=341–342|access-date=December 7, 2019}}</ref> All of the chapels, except for [[Ansgar|St. Ansgar's]], were donated by individuals or families.<ref name="Quirk p. 97" />{{efn|The donors for each chapel were:<ref name="Dolkart p. 373 fn48"/>
* St. Ansgar: built in memory of [[William Reed Huntington]]
* St. Boniface: gift of George and Julia Bowdoin and their children
* St. Columba: gift of Mary Augusta King
* St. Savior: gift of [[August Belmont Jr.]]
* St. Martin: gift of Clementina Furniss
* St. Ambrose: gift of Sara Whiting Rives
* St. James: gift of [[Elizabeth Scriven Potter]], wife of [[Henry Codman Potter]]}} Clockwise from north, they are devoted to:<ref name="StJ-Nave" /><ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" />
* St. Ansgar, patron of Denmark;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by [[Henry Vaughan (architect)|Henry Vaughan]], dedicated 1918.<ref name="Chapel-designers">{{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|pp=382–383}}; {{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=373 (footnote 48)}}</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 121">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=121}}</ref> St. Ansgar Chapel has its own organ.<ref name="Quirk p. 121"/><ref name="SJ-Organs">{{cite web | title=Cathedral Organs | website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine | date=April 14, 2019 | url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/music/organs/ | access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref>
* [[St. Boniface]], apostle of the Germans;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by Henry Vaughan, dedicated 1916.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk p. 119">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=119}}</ref>
* [[Columba|St. Columba]], patron of Ireland and Scotland;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by Heins & LaFarge, dedicated 1911.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk p. 117">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=117}}</ref>
* St. Savior (Holy Savior), devoted to immigrants from Africa and Asia;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by Heins & LaFarge, dedicated 1911.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk p. 113">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=113}}</ref> St. Savior was the first chapel to be complete, hosting its first services in 1904.<ref name="Dolkart p. 373 fn48">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=373 (footnote 48)}}</ref> It contains a bronze three-paneled altar with gold-leaf decoration, designed by [[Keith Haring]] just before his death.<ref name="Fodors 2006" />
* [[St. Martin of Tours]], patron of the French;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by Cram & Ferguson, dedicated 1918.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk p. 109">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=109}}</ref>
* [[St. Ambrose]], patron of Milan;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /> designed by [[Carrère and Hastings]], dedicated 1914.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk p. 105">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=105}}</ref>
* [[James, son of Zebedee|St. James]], patron of Spain;<ref name="Brown 1917 p. 341" /><ref name="Quirk pp. 101-102">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|pp=101–102}}</ref> designed by Henry Vaughan, dedicated 1916.<ref name="Chapel-designers" /><ref name="Quirk pp. 101-102" /> St. James Chapel is the largest apsidal chapel, with a seating capacity of 25 people, and is frequently utilized for small funerals, weddings, or worship services.<ref name="Quirk pp. 101-102" /> The chapel has its own choir and 857-pipe organ.<ref name="Urban America (Organization) 1920 p. 121" /><ref name="Quirk pp. 101-102" /><ref name="SJ-Organs"/>

The northwest corner of the apse, adjacent to the St. Ansgar Chapel, includes the octagonal baptistery.<ref name="fednyc p. 383">{{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|p=383}}</ref><ref name="Quirk pp. 123-124">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|pp=123–124}}</ref> The baptistery was donated by three [[Stuyvesant family]] siblings in 1924.<ref name="Dolkart p. 66" /><ref name="Broad 2022"/> The space measures {{Convert|31|ft||abbr=}} in diameter with a ceiling {{Convert|43|ft||abbr=}} tall.<ref name="Quirk pp. 123-124" /> The baptistery's iconography depicts the Stuyvesant family history; icons of [[New Amsterdam]], New York, and Dutch history; and the 12 apostles.<ref name="Dolkart p. 67" /><ref name="Quirk pp. 123-124" />

The columbarium, established in the 1970s, is in a room directly west of the baptistery. It contains marble vaults, which store the remains of people from all religions.<ref>{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=125}}</ref>

=== Crossing ===
[[File:Cathedral of Saint John the Divine - The main altar.jpg|thumb|The crossing (dark stone ceiling), viewed from the nave. The apse is in the background.]]
Between the nave to the west and the apse to the east is the [[Crossing (architecture)|crossing]], designed by [[Rafael Guastavino]]. The interior of the crossing includes four massive granite arches, which in the original Heins & LaFarge design were originally intended to support the massive {{Convert|445|ft|m|abbr=|adj=on}} tower above it.<ref name="MG p. 120" /><ref name="NYTimes-Plans-1927" /> When completed in 1900, the arches were described as the "crowning glory" of Morningside Heights.<ref name="NYCL p. 9" /><ref>{{cite book|title=Upper West Side story : a history and guide|last=Salwen|first=Peter|publisher=Abbeville Press|year=1989|isbn=978-0-89659-894-2|location=New York|page=72|oclc=18815559}}</ref> During the time that the nave remained incomplete, temporary walls were placed within the arches so that services could be held in the crossing.<ref name="NYTimes-Plans-1927" />

Above the crossing is a domed roof, which was meant as a temporary covering until the tower above the crossing was built. It was completed within fifteen weeks between May and August 1909.<ref name="Dolkart p. 56" /> The dome is shaped like a saucer, and consists of several overlapping layers of [[Guastavino tile]], which support themselves around the dome's center upon their own weight.<ref name="MG p. 120" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 56" /><ref name="NYCL p. 30">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=30}}</ref> The [[pendentive]]s, or triangular areas between the circular dome and the corners of the arches, are {{Convert|1|in||abbr=}} thick; the thickness of the dome itself ranges from {{Convert|4|in||abbr=}} on top to {{Convert|7.5|in||abbr=}} at the bottom.<ref name="Dolkart p. 56" /> Compared to conventional ceilings, the tiles saved money because they did not require temporary supports when they were installed.<ref name="Dolkart p. 55" /> For added strength, metal rods were included in the dome's shell.<ref name="Dolkart p. 56" />

The dome was originally intended to be temporary.<ref name="Quirk p. 21" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 55" /> Cram had proposed three plans for the structure above the crossing: a steeple, a square tower rising {{Convert|500|ft|m|abbr=}} above the crossing floor, and then a slim spire. None of these plans were realized.<ref name="MG p. 120" /> A three-year renovation project from 2019 to 2022 repaired cracks in tiles, patched concrete, added new protective materials, and built a new copper dome over the crossing.<ref name="Yimby-Dome-2019" /><ref name=nyt20221212>{{cite news |last=Margolies |first=Jane |date=December 22, 2022 |title=Cathedral of St. John Finally Solves a 100-Year-Old Problem |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/arts/design/st-johns-cathedral-dome-guastavino.html |work=[[The New York Times]] |location= |access-date=December 22, 2022}}</ref>

=== Basements <span class="anchor" id="Basement"></span> ===
Directly below the crossing is the basement, which contains the [[crypt]], now used as a storage area. The items stored in the crypt include artifacts such as pieces of the destroyed [[Pennsylvania Station (1910–1963)|Pennsylvania Station]] and [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]], as well as [[Angel|wooden angels]], plaster [[gargoyle]]s, [[leadlight]]s, [[antique furniture]], and a single-file line of saints. The crypt also includes objects such as a large fossil and a massive [[crystal]] of [[quartz]], both of which were relocated to the crypt after the 2001 fire. Along either side the basement are rooms, each named after the chapels that they are located under.<ref name="NYTimes-Crypt-2018" /> In the 1980s, the crypt was also home to the Cathedral Works Company, which sold textiles.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/07/08/garden/in-cathedral-s-crypt-a-workshop-turns-out-crafts.html|title=In Cathedral's Crypt, a Workshop Turns Out Crafts|last=Taylor|first=Angela|date=July 8, 1982|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The crypt also formerly contained the [[Tiffany Chapel]], created by jewelry designer [[Louis Comfort Tiffany]].<ref name="Hall p. 76" /><ref name="Hanks et al">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=u7dvDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA25|title=Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection|last1=Hanks|first1=D.A.|last2=Driehaus|first2=R.H.|last3=Faier|first3=J.|author4=Richard H. Driehaus Museum|publisher=Monacelli Press|year=2013|isbn=978-1-58093-353-7|page=25|access-date=November 1, 2019}}</ref> Originally exhibited at the [[World's Columbian Exposition]] in 1893, it was then acquired by Celia Whipple Wallace and moved to the cathedral in 1898.<ref name="NYTimes-Progress-1898" /><ref name="Hanks et al" /> Services at the cathedral were hosted at the Tiffany Chapel from 1899 to 1911, and the chapel was reacquired by Tiffany in 1916.<ref name="Hall p. 76" /> The chapel has been in the [[Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art]] in [[Winter Park, Florida]], since 1999.<ref name="Hanks et al" />

{{anchor|Subbasement}}A subbasement below the crypt is often flooded by groundwater, potentially from springs in the area.<ref name="Broad 2022">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/23/science/cathedral-st-john-divine-nyc.html|title=A Cathedral Tried to Approach Heaven, but the Earth Held a Deep Secret|last=Broad|first=William|date=December 23, 2022|work=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=December 23, 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Leake and Watts Asylum had a well on the site of the present-day baptistery,<ref name="Broad 2022"/><ref name="Smith pp. 38-39">{{harvnb|ps=.|Smith|1938|pages=38–39}}</ref> and there was a spring near the intersection of 110th Street and Morningside Drive.<ref name="Broad 2022"/><ref>{{harvnb|ps=.|Smith|1938|page=35}}</ref> As early as 1893, workers discovered that the ground under the cathedral was soft and prone to flooding.<ref name=nyt18930910/><ref name=n115089861/> As a result, the cathedral has a concrete foundation.<ref name="NYTimes-Foundation-1895"/> Sump pumps keep the area dry, and construction of the neighboring Enclave has reduced flooding. However, the spring still exists underneath the cathedral, and water from the spring may have contributed to the partial collapse of a retaining wall in 2006.<ref name="Broad 2022"/>

== Cathedral close ==
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The [[cathedral close]], surrounding the main cathedral, consists of several buildings on a {{convert|11.5|acre|adj=on}} site,<ref name="Fodors 2006" /><ref name="fednyc p. 380">{{harvnb|ps=.|Federal Writers Project|1939|p=380}}</ref> including the former [[Leake and Watts Services|Leake & Watts]] asylum building, which predates the land's acquisition by the Episcopal Diocese of New York.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> The other structures were built later.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" />

The former asylum is located immediately south of the crossing. [[The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine]] is located on the eastern boundary of the site, just south of the apse. A [[Biblical garden]] is located between the school and the asylum building. To the southwest is a pulpit green, situated between the nave to the north and the Synod Hall and Diocesan House to the south. The Cathedral House is located south of the Biblical garden and east of the pulpit green. The Synod Hall and Diocesan House are located on the southern boundary.<ref name="StJ-Guide">{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/pages/STJ-welcome-MA-2012-1556035646.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/pages/STJ-welcome-MA-2012-1556035646.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Visitor Guide|date=2012|publisher=Cathedral of St. John the Divine|access-date=December 4, 2019}}</ref> Various paths, gardens, play areas, and furniture are located on the cathedral close, as are numerous artworks and several commemorative or religious objects.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" />

The initial plans for the cathedral close, put forth in the 1890s, varied widely. The included a 1892 plan for buildings on Morningside Drive and Cathedral Parkway; various proposals for an Episcopal residence somewhere along the close; and an 1898–1899 plan for a deaconesses' training school.<ref name="NYCL p. 14" /> Two other plans were proposed in 1902 and 1903,<ref name="NYT-Coadjutor-1902">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1902/09/26/archives/selection-of-bishop-coadjutor-postponed-diocesan-convention-hears.html|title=Selection Of Bishop Coadjutor Postponed; Diocesan Convention Hears Bishop Potter Tell of Need|date=September 26, 1902|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> but after objections to the 1903 plan from St. Luke's Hospital, a new plan was presented in 1906.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> The Training School for Deaconesses was completed in 1909, independently of the plan.<ref name="NYCL p. 16">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=16}}</ref> Cram presented to the trustees an extensive plan for all the structures on the grounds in October 1911,<ref name="Herald-Plan-1911" /> and the trustees approved the choir school the same month.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> The following month, the trustees certified plans for the Synod Hall, bishop's house, and deanery,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/11/29/archives/to-build-new-synod-hall-trustees-of-episcopal-cathedral-will-spend.html|title=To Build New Synod Hall; Trustees of Episcopal Cathedral Will Spend $300,000 on It|date=November 29, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|date=December 2, 1911|title=Synod Hall for Cathedral Grounds|url=https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_048_23.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://rerecord.library.columbia.edu/pdf_files/ldpd_7031148_048_23.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|journal=The Real Estate Record: Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide|volume=88|pages=836|via=[[Columbia University|columbia.edu]]|number=2281}}</ref> as well as the never-built diocesan offices and canons' residences.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> A heating plant at the southwestern corner of the cathedral close (added to the plan in 1913), and two structures planned for the western boundary and approved in 1920, were not built.<ref name="NYCL p. 15" /> A shelter was built in 2015 for the cathedral's three peacocks, Jim, Phil, and Harry,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barron|first=James|date=October 8, 2017|title=Construction Project at a Cathedral: A New Home for Its Peacocks|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/08/nyregion/peacocks-st-john-the-divine.html|access-date=January 21, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> who lived on the cathedral close from the early 2000s to 2023.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barron|first=James|date=January 20, 2023|title=Beloved Peacocks Are Retiring From St. John the Divine|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/20/nyregion/peacocks-st-john-the-divine.html|access-date=January 21, 2023|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Ithiel Town Building ===
The former Leake and Watts Asylum building, designed by [[Ithiel Town]] and completed in 1843,<ref name="Gray 1990" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=5}}</ref> is located south of the crossing, where the south transept would have been located.<ref name="StJ-Guide" /> The building, designed in the [[Greek Revival architecture|Greek Revival]] style, was originally composed of five parts. There was a central pavilion with [[Ionic order|Ionic]]-style [[portico]]s to the south and north.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> The front entrance, located within the south portico, was approached by a wide granite staircase. The only decorative element was at the south portico's [[pediment]], which was supported by six stucco-covered brick columns, topped by [[Capital (architecture)|capitals]] made of wood.<ref name="Gray 1990" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> Brick wings flanked the central pavilion to each side, and originally contained wooden porches along their facades, replaced with iron balconies in 1888.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" />

[[File:Historic American Buildings Survey, E.P. MacFarland, Photographer May 10, 1934, VIEW FROM SOUTHWEST. - Old Leake and Watts Orphanage, Amsterdam Avenue and 110th Street, New York, HABS NY,31-NEYO,22-1 crop.tif|thumb|upright|Ithiel Town Building (former orphanage) seen here in 1934]]

Originally, there were common areas and staff rooms within the central pavilion, and dormitories for 300 children in the wings.<ref name="Gray 1990" /><ref name="NYCL p. 5" /> When the Episcopal Diocese of New York acquired the site, the former asylum building served several functions for the cathedral. Between 1892 and 1899, it was used as an employee dormitory and construction offices,<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> while the parlor hosted worship services.<ref name="Quirk p. 149">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=149}}</ref> Afterward, the former asylum's west wing was used by the [[day school]] for the cathedral's [[choirboy]]s between 1901 and 1913. Cathedral leaders had proposed demolishing parts of the asylum building, since it was in the way of the proposed southern transept, though these demolitions did not happen.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> Subsequently, the west wing was used by the Diocese offices, and the east wing by Cathedral offices until 1949.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /><ref name="Quirk p. 149" /> The building then became the "Exhibit Hall"<ref name="Quirk p. 149" /> and the top stories were removed sometime afterward. The structure was renovated in 2004–2012, becoming the "Ithiel Town Building".<ref name="NYCL p. 5" />

The Ithiel Town Building houses a textile laboratory that [[Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage|conserves]] the cathedral's textiles, including the Barberini tapestries to cartoons by [[Raphael]]. The laboratory also conserves tapestries, needlepoint, upholstery, costumes, and other textiles for its clients.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.stjohndivine.org/about/textile-conservation-lab|title=Textile Conservation Laboratory|publisher=The Cathedral of St. John the Divine|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120163719/http://www.stjohndivine.org/about/textile-conservation-lab|archive-date=November 20, 2015|access-date=April 23, 2017}}</ref> The building has also housed the Museum of Religious Art, as well as offices, shops, choir rehearsal quarters, [[Sacristy|sacristies]], and the Cathedral Community Cares program.<ref name="NYCL p. 5" />

=== Diocesan House ===
The Diocesan House, also known as St. Faith's House, is the only building on the cathedral close to be designed by Heins & LaFarge before they were fired.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /><ref name="Quirk p. 149" /> The structure, designed in the [[English Gothic architecture|Tudor Gothic]] style,<ref name="Quirk p. 149" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/07/30/garden/living-in-the-cathedral-close.html|title=Living in the Cathedral Close|date=July 30, 1981|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> is located on the southern side of the cathedral close, close to Cathedral Parkway (110th Street).<ref name="Dolkart p. 62">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=62}}</ref> It is a {{Frac|3|1|2}}-story H-shaped building with a brick facade, a base of Indiana limestone, and gable roofs above the pavilions on the western end. The southern elevation also contains an additional basement story. Its main entrance, on the eastern portion of the northern elevation, is a recessed-arched portal with an [[oriel window]] on the third story.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /> {{As of|2017||df=}}, the Diocesan House is used by the diocese's offices and archives; the cathedral's library; and apartments.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 62" />

The Diocesan House was originally built for the [[New York Training School for Deaconesses]], which was established in 1890 and had been searching for new locations since 1898 or 1899.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 62" /> Funds to build the structure were finally received in 1907 after Archdeacon [[Charles Comfort Tiffany]] included $125,000 for the deaconesses' school in his will.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /><ref>{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=379}}</ref> The building was originally supposed to be on the northern side of the cathedral close, but was moved due to objections from St. Luke's Hospital.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /> Construction started in May 1910<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/05/01/archives/church-training-school-cornerstone-of-building-for-deacon-esses-to.html|title=Church Training School; Cornerstone of Building for Deaconesses to be Laid Saturday|date=May 1, 1910|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and the school opened by that October.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40062159/|title=Church and Religious News Notes|date=October 29, 1910|work=New-York Tribune|access-date=December 3, 2019|page=9|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> All work was finished in February 1911, and the building was used as a deaconesses' school until May 1948, and it was converted to office use the following year.<ref name="NYCL p. 16" />

=== Synod Hall ===
[[File:401-499 Cathedral Pkwy - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Synod Hall main entrance]]
The Synod Hall (also known as the Synod House) houses the cathedral's [[synod]] or council, but is also used for various events and other functions. It was completed in 1913 and was the first of four structures on the cathedral close to be designed by Cram, and was designed to be "the most beautiful thing in New York".<ref name="Dolkart p. 62" /> It is located at the southwestern corner of the cathedral close.<ref name="Dolkart p. 63">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=63}}</ref><ref name="NYCL p. 18">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=18}}</ref> The main entrance, an arched portal facing Amsterdam Avenue, contains carvings of Christian figures, which flank oak double-doors.<ref name="Dolkart p. 63" /> A carving of [[George Washington]] is located between the doors, and six smaller figures are located on the tympanum above the doors.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64">{{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|ps=.|p=64}}</ref> The exterior is made of pink [[Kingwood, West Virginia|Kingwood]] sandstone.<ref name="Dolkart p. 63" /><ref name="NYCL p. 20">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=20}}</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 147">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=147}}</ref> Inside is a hall that can seat over a thousand people,{{efn|According to {{harvnb|Dolkart|1998|p=64}}, the space could fit 1,200 people. However, {{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=147}}, says that the hall can only seat 1,000.}} with gallery seating above the main level. There are grisaille windows to the north and south, and wooden trusses on the ceiling, supporting the gable roof.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" /><ref name="NYCL p. 20" /> The Synod Hall also contains a three-manual Skinner pipe organ.<ref name="Quirk p. 147" />

Plans for a diocesan building were considered as early as 1903.<ref name="NYCL p. 18" /> The current Synod Hall was announced in 1911, in preparation for the 1913 [[General Convention of the Episcopal Church in the United States of America|General Convention of the Episcopal Church]].<ref name="Quirk p. 147" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/11/29/archives/to-build-new-synod-hall-trustees-of-episcopal-cathedral-will-spend.html|title=To Build New Synod Hall; Trustees of Episcopal Cathedral Will Spend $300,000 on It.|date=November 29, 1911|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Cram's firm submitted plans for Synod Hall in March 1912,<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/03/01/archives/taft-gets-twelve-more-delegates-indorsed-by-south-carolina-and-in.html|title=Plan for New Synod Hall on Cathedral Heights|date=March 1, 1912|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and it opened in October 1913 with the start of the convention.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1913/10/08/archives/missionary-bishops-start-convention-they-favor-a-backhome-movement.html|title=Missionary Bishops Start Convention; They Favor a "Back-Home" Movement and Will Urge It on Governing Body|date=October 8, 1913|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 12, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, the hall was not completed until early 1914.<ref name="NYCL p. 18" /> After [[Bayard Cutting]] and [[J. P. Morgan]] made large donations toward the Synod Hall, the cathedral had to return some of the previous donations, as the two men had given more than enough funds to pay for the building.<ref name="Quirk p. 147" />

=== School ===
{{Further|The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine}}
[[File:The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine.jpg|thumb|alt=The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine|[[The Cathedral School of St. John the Divine]]|left]]

The choir school building, now the Cathedral School of St. John the Divine, is located on the cathedral close's eastern border.<ref name="StJ-Guide" /> The building is in the [[Collegiate Gothic]] style and is {{Frac|4|1|2}} stories tall.<ref name="Quirk p. 149" /><ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> The exterior contains gray schist cladding and limestone trim, with architectural features such as a gabled roof, [[dormer]]s protruding from the roof, and [[Tudor architecture|Tudor]]-style arched openings. Inside, the building contained classrooms; gathering space for reception, dining; music rooms; a library; a gymnasium; a dormitory; and masters' and service rooms.<ref name="NYCL p. 17">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=17}}</ref>

The choir school was created in 1901 within the Town Building.<ref name="NYCL p. 4" /> A separate structure was first proposed in Walter Cook & Winthrop A. Welch's 1906 plan for the campus.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> In January 1910, Mary Eliza Blodgett (alternatively Mrs. J. Jarrett Blodgett) donated $25,000 toward the new school building's projected $150,000 cost, as a gift to honor her father John H. Sherwood.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1910/01/27/archives/150000-school-for-cathedral-choir-mrs-j-jarrett-blodgett-starts-the.html|title=$150,000 School for Cathedral Choir; Mrs. J. Jarrett Blodgett Starts the Fund with a $25,000 Gift to St. John the Divine.|date=January 27, 1910|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 13, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Blodgett later covered the rest of the choir school building's cost after no one else donated, while former choirboy [[Frederick Gilbert Bourne|Frederick G. Bourne]] provided a $500,000 endowment in 1914.<ref name="Quirk p. 149" /><ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> Cram approved Cook & Welch's plan in January 1912 and filed construction plans that July, with work beginning that October.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> The school building was finished in September 1913.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" /><ref name="NYCL p. 17" /> The choir school consisted of day school for 20 adult men and a boarding school for 40 choirboys who paid no tuition. It was turned into a boys' day school in 1964 and a coeducational day school for grades K-8 in 1972.<ref name="NYCL p. 17" />

=== Bishop's house and deanery ===
The Episcopal Residence, consisting of the bishop's house (also Cathedral House) and deanery (also Ogilvie House), were the final buildings that Cram designed within the cathedral close.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" /> The structures were intentionally built close together to evoke a feeling of coziness.<ref name="NYCL p. 20" /> According to Cram, the [[Châteauesque|Chateauesque]]-style buildings were inspired by "later domestic" buildings in the French Gothic style.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=z4U5AAAAMAAJ|title=My life in architecture|last=Cram|first=R.A.|publisher=Little, Brown, and Company|year=1936|page=177|access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref> The bishop's house is west of the deanery, on slightly higher ground; the deanery is thus hidden behind the bishop's house.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" /> A small garden is located at the northeast corner of the buildings.<ref name="Quirk p. 149" />

As built, the two structures contained a myriad of living space inside. The bishop's house contained eight rooms with seven bathrooms, while the deanery contained 20 rooms with five bathrooms.<ref name="Dolkart p. 66" /> The deanery is three stories tall; like the choir school, it has gray schist cladding and limestone trim. It contains several pavilions with dormers and gabled roofs, as well as a [[loggia]] and an oriel window on the southern elevation.<ref name="NYCL p. 21" /> The bishop's house is four stories tall and is largely in the same design, but part of the northern elevation is made of exposed brick, marking the location where it would have connected to the unbuilt southern transept.<ref name="NYCL p. 22" /> The ornamentation of the bishop's house contains symbols of the diocesan offices, such as bishops; by contrast, the deanery has simpler decorations, such as depictions of flowers and cats. A private chapel between the two buildings was not built.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" />

An episcopal residence had been announced in 1897<ref name="NYCL p. 21" /> and Heins & LaFarge drew up plans for such a structure in 1902.<ref name="NYT-Coadjutor-1902" /> The Deanery was donated by Helen Slade Ogilvie in 1911 in memory of her late husband Clinton,<ref name="Quirk p. 149" /><ref name="NYCL p. 20" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 380">{{harvnb|ps=.|Dolkart|1998|p=380, note 115}}</ref> while the bishop's house was funded partly by the sale of a previous bishop's house at [[Gramercy Park]].<ref name="NYCL p. 21" /> Initially, the site of the two structures was contested because the buildings would have blocked views of the main cathedral from the south.<ref name="Dolkart p. 64" /> Before the structures' construction started in 1912, the sites for the bishop's house and deanery were relocated eastward.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/11/09/archives/start-bishop-greers-home-work-also-begun-on-cathedral-close-house.html|title=Start Bishop Greer's Home; Work Also Begun on Cathedral Close House for Dean Grosvenor.|date=November 9, 1912|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The two buildings' sites were given preliminary approval in May 1912 and were officially approved that October.<ref name="NYCL p. 20" /> The bishop's house started in November 1912<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1912/11/09/archives/start-bishop-greers-home-work-also-begun-on-cathedral-close-house.html|title=Start Bishop Greer's Home; Work Also Begun on Cathedral Close House for Dean Grosvenor.|date=November 9, 1912|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 14, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and was finished in April 1914.<ref name="NYCL p. 21">{{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017|ps=.|p=21}}</ref> while the deanery was started in February 1913 and completed by that November.<ref name="NYCL p. 20" /> Both structures were erected by Leonard Jacob and Frederick T. Youngs.<ref name="NYCL p. 20" /> After the 1947 Diocesan Convention, the bishop moved into the upper two floors of the deanery, and the old bishop's house was turned into administration offices.<ref name="NYCL p. 22" /><ref name="Quirk p. 149" /><ref name="Dolkart p. 380"/>

===Residential buildings===
[[File:Avalon Morningside sun snow jeh.jpg|thumb|[[Avalon Morningside Park]], built in 2007 on a portion of the [[cathedral close]]]]

In 2008, the cathedral leased the southeast corner of its property, which contained the cathedral's playground and Rose Garden, to the [[AvalonBay Communities]], which built a luxury apartment building called the [[Avalon Morningside Park]]. The project includes 295 apartments, of which 20% are [[affordable housing]] units, as well as replacement rose garden.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/realestate/07post.html|title=Worldly, Meet Other-Worldly|last=Hughes|first=C. J.|date=September 7, 2008|work=The New York Times|issn=0362-4331|access-date=October 21, 2019}}</ref> The cathedral leased the northeastern edge of its property, formerly a parking lot, in 2012.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/28/nyregion/st-john-the-divine-expects-revenue-and-controversy-in-land-deal.html|title=St. John the Divine Expects Revenue, and Controversy, in Land Deal|last=Finn|first=Robin|date=January 27, 2012|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The lessee was the Brodsky Organization, which built a residential building called the Enclave between 2014<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/05/nyregion/complaints-build-as-a-cathedral-project-begins-its-rise.html|title=Complaints Build as a Cathedral Project Begins Its Rise|last=Barron|first=James|date=April 4, 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> and 2015.<ref name="Curbed-Rentals-2015" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/22/realestate/new-rentals-steps-from-st-john-the-divine.html|title=New Rentals Steps From St. John the Divine|last=McKeough|first=Tim|date=November 20, 2015|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 20, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Enclave consists of 428 rental apartments in two 15-story buildings, separated by the passageway leading to the northern transept; an underground gallery connects the two buildings.<ref name="Curbed-Rentals-2015" />

Both developments leased the land from the cathedral for 99-year terms. The lease on the land under the Enclave pays the Cathedral about $3&nbsp;million a year; the lease on the Avalon, about $2.5&nbsp;million.<ref name="McKeoghRentalBldgs" /><ref name="Curbed-Rentals-2015" />

== Art, activities, and exhibitions ==
=== Concerts and special events ===
The cathedral's interior is frequently used for concerts, performances, and other special events.<ref name="Peace">{{cite news|title=Music: Peace concert at St. John the Divine | work=The New York Times | date=January 2, 1986 | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/02/arts/music-peace-concert-at-st-john-the-divine.html | access-date=December 16, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

==== Recurring events ====
The cathedral has an annual New Year's Eve Concert for Peace. The Postlude to Act I of Leonard Bernstein's opera ''Quiet Place'' received its New York premiere at the 1985 concert.<ref name="Peace" /> The 1990 concert was a tribute to Bernstein himself, who helped found the event and had died two months earlier on October 14.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-12-31-ca-5501-story.html|title=New Year's News|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=December 31, 1990|access-date=November 18, 2011}}</ref>

[[Paul Winter]] has given many concerts at the cathedral, and the [[Paul Winter Consort]] are the artists in residence.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livingmusic.com/biographies/pwbio.html|title=Paul Winter|website=Paul Winter|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071205010820/http://www.livingmusic.com/biographies/pwbio.html|archive-date=December 5, 2007|access-date=April 13, 2008}}</ref> Among the major musical events that takes place every year is a celebration of the feast day of St. Francis, when the Paul Winter Consort participates in a liturgical performance of Winter's ''Missa Gaia'' (Earth Mass).<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/05/nyregion/every-dog-and-elephant-has-its-day-in-st-john-rite.html|title=Every Dog (and Elephant) Has Its Day in St. John Rite|last=Goldman|first=Ari L|date=October 5, 1987|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 13, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/9795/the-feast-of-saint-francis-and-blessing-of-the-animals|title=Calendar – Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|website=www.stjohndivine.org|access-date=December 13, 2019|archive-date=December 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213043516/https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/9795/the-feast-of-saint-francis-and-blessing-of-the-animals|url-status=dead}}</ref> The musical group also performs at the annual Winter Solstice program.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/12/21/675242726/a-paul-winter-solstice-concert-2018-encore-performance|title=A Paul Winter Solstice Concert 2018: Encore Performance|website=NPR.org|date=December 21, 2018|access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/29494/paul-winters-40th-annual-winter-solstice-celebration|title=Calendar: Paul Winter's 40th Annual Winter Solstice|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref>

==== One-time events ====
The cathedral has also been used for several individual events:
* Duke Ellington's ''[[Duke Ellington's Sacred Concerts|Second Sacred Concert]]'', of his original sacred music compositions, premiered at the cathedral on January 19, 1968.<ref name="StJ-History" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-sep-23-et-don23-story.html|title=Luckman Orchestra Delivers Ellington's Work With Flair|date=September 23, 2002|website=Los Angeles Times|access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref><ref name="NYT-Ellington-1974" />
* When construction on the south tower restarted in 1982, French high-wire artist [[Philippe Petit]] walked on a tightrope stretched across Amsterdam Avenue.<ref name="Quirk p. 24" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/a-high-wire-act-at-the-cathedral/|title=Man on a Wire at the Cathedral, With More to Come|last=Kilgannon|first=Corey|date=December 17, 2008|website=City Room|access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref> Petit was also the artist-in-residence at St. John's starting in 1982.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/21/garden/a-highwire-master-touches-down.html|title=A High-Wire Master Touches Down|last=Green|first=Penelope|date=September 21, 2006|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 13, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* In 1990, the [[avant-garde]] musician [[Diamanda Galas]] performed ''Plague Mass'', a culmination of her work dedicated to the victims of the [[AIDS]] epidemic. Galas's performance consisted of covering her body in cattle blood and reinterpreting biblical texts and classic literature. She said it was a protest against what she saw as the ignorance and condemnation toward people with AIDS from religious and political groups.<ref>{{cite web |title=Critic's Choice |work=The New York Times |date=October 12, 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/12/arts/critic-s-choice-929390.html |access-date=May 9, 2011|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* On December 8, 1994, [[Mariah Carey]] hosted a benefit concert for [[The Fresh Air Fund]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-aniversary-reissue-886791/|title=Mariah Carey Plots 'Merry Christmas' 25th Anniversary Reissue|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=September 23, 2019|access-date=October 9, 2019|archive-date=September 24, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924174931/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/mariah-carey-merry-christmas-aniversary-reissue-886791/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The concert helped raise $700,000 to support the Fresh Air Fund and Carey's own [[Camp Mariah]], and an additional $1&nbsp;million from Carey herself.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1995/nov/29/mariah-carey-carries-off-television-show-with-ease/|title=Mariah Carey Carries Off Television Show With Ease|work=[[The Spokesman-Review]]|date=November 29, 1995|access-date=October 9, 2019}}</ref>
* The wedding of [[Ethan Hawke]] and [[Uma Thurman]] took place at the cathedral on May 1, 1998.<ref name="Deseret News 1998 q039">{{cite web | title=Expectant Uma Thurman weds in N.Y. cathedral | website=Deseret News | date=May 3, 1998 | url=https://www.deseret.com/1998/5/3/19377767/expectant-uma-thurman-weds-in-n-y-cathedral | access-date=September 24, 2023}}</ref>
* In November 2017, [[Aretha Franklin]] held her last large public concert, a 25th-anniversary event for the [[Elton John AIDS Foundation]] being hosted at the cathedral.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/entertainment/aretha-franklin-dead-celebrities-react-1-20497665/|title=Aretha Franklin dead; celebrities remember 'Queen of Soul'|date=August 16, 2018|website=amNewYork|access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref>

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine has also hosted events with spiritual leaders.<ref name="StJ-History" /> Among them are [[14th Dalai Lama|Tenzin Gyatso]], the 14th [[Dalai Lama]], who first visited the cathedral in 1979.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/09/10/archives/reporters-notebook-to-many-dalai-lamas-visit-is-dream-come-true.html|title=Reporter's Notebook: To Many, Dalai Lama's Visit Is Dream Come True|last=Vecsey|first=George |author-link=George Vecsey |date=September 10, 1979|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 24, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In addition, Bishop [[Desmond Tutu]] led a service in the cathedral in 1986.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/01/07/nyregion/tutu-in-new-york-calls-for-economic-sanctions.html|title=Tutu, in New York, Calls for Economic Sanctions|last=Kolbert|first=Elizabeth|date=January 7, 1986|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 24, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Temporary art exhibitions ===
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine is also used as an art exhibition space:<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/15/nyregion/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-is-a-gallery-too.html|title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine Is a Gallery, Too|last=Lee|first=A. C.|date=August 14, 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 6, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* In 1977, a sculpture dedicated to the 12 firemen who died in the [[23rd Street Fire]] of 1966 was unveiled at St. John's.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/11/27/archives/sculpture-honors-dead-firemen.html|title=Sculpture Honors Dead Firemen|last=Kleiman|first=Dena|date=November 27, 1977|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Edwina Sandys]]'s ''Christa'', a sculpture exhibited during [[Holy Week]] in 1984, was based upon the [[Thealogy|feminine divine]]. Though the sculpture generally received positive acclaim, several pieces of [[hate mail]] were addressed to the cathedral, accusing the cathedral of "blasphemy" with its depiction of [[Crucifixion of Jesus|Christ on the cross]].<ref name="Christa">{{cite web |title=The Christa Project: Manifesting Divine Bodies |url=http://www.stjohndivine.org/programs/christa |website=stjohndivine.org |publisher=St. John the Divine Catherdral |access-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170815120136/http://www.stjohndivine.org/programs/christa|archive-date=August 15, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> The statue was displayed again at ''The Christa Project: Manifesting Divine Bodies'' exhibition in 2016.<ref name="Christa" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Barron |first1=James |title=An 'Evolving' Episcopal Church Invites Back a Controversial Sculpture |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/05/nyregion/an-evolving-episcopal-church-invites-back-a-controversial-sculpture.html |access-date=October 2, 2018 |work=The New York Times |date=October 4, 2016|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* ''The Value of Water'', curated by artist activist [[Fredericka Foster]], was exhibited at the cathedral in 2011. Featuring over forty artists, it was the largest-ever art exhibition to appear at the cathedral.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2012/03/22/value-water-explored-cathedral-st-john-divine|title=The Value of Water|last1=Bukauskas|first1=Dovilas|website=worldpolicy.org|publisher=World Policy Institute|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929091358/http://www.worldpolicy.org/blog/2012/03/22/value-water-explored-cathedral-st-john-divine|archive-date=September 29, 2017|access-date=September 28, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://artsci.ucla.edu/events/value-water-exhibition|title=The Value of Water Exhibition|last1=Miller, Reverend Canon|first1=Tom|access-date=April 21, 2017|publisher=UCLA Art Science Center}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://inhabitat.com/nyc/manhattan-cathedral-examines-the-value-of-water-in-a-new-star-studded-art-exhibition/|title=Manhattan Cathedral Examines "The Value of Water" in a New Star-Studded Art Exhibition|last1=Cotter|first1=Mary|website=inhabitat.com|date=October 4, 2011 |publisher=inhabitat|access-date=October 3, 2017}}</ref>
* In 2014, the cathedral housed ''Phoenix'', a sculptural group by Chinese artist [[Xu Bing]]. The two sculptures that comprised ''Phoenix'' was one of the largest pieces of sculpture ever displayed in the United States, weighing {{Convert|12|ST|LT t|abbr=}} with lengths of {{Convert|90|and|100|ft|abbr=}}.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/15/arts/design/xu-bing-installs-his-sculptures-at-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Phoenixes Rise in China and Float in New York|last=Vogel|first=Carol|date=February 14, 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=October 21, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Poets' Corner ===
The Poets' Corner, inspired by a similar corner at [[Westminster Abbey]], is located in the Arts Bay, on the nave's northern side.<ref name="Poets 1984">{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/art/poets/|title=American Poets Corner|date=May 7, 1984|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Quirk p. 47">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|p=47}}</ref> It was dedicated in 1985, with [[Emily Dickinson]], [[Washington Irving]], and [[Walt Whitman]] being the first poets to be inducted as part of the tradition.<ref name="Quirk p. 47" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/05/09/nyregion/us-poets-corner-dedicated-at-cathedral.html|title=U.s. Poets' Corner Dedicated at Cathedral|last=Goodman|first=Walter|date=May 9, 1984|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 14, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1985-05-27-8502020927-story.html|title=America's 'Poet's Corner'|date=May 27, 1985|website=Chicago Tribune|access-date=December 14, 2019}}</ref> The Poets' Corner consists of a poet-in-residence, hired for a five-year term, who in turn appoints electors on staggered terms. The poets-in-residence and electors have included 17 [[United States Poet Laureate]]s.<ref name="Poets 1984" /> The electors then vote on choices for honorees, whose names are carved into blocks in the Poets' Corner; subsequent honorees have included [[Edgar Allan Poe]], [[T. S. Eliot]], [[William Faulkner]], and [[William Carlos Williams]]. The electors' choices can be overturned, as occurred in 1999, when the Very Reverend Harry Pritchett vetoed [[Ezra Pound]]'s inclusion because of Pound's [[Antisemitism|anti-Semitic]] statements during World War II.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/23/books/cathedral-bars-ezra-pound-from-its-poets-corner.html|title=Cathedral Bars Ezra Pound From Its Poets' Corner|last=Smith|first=Dinitia|date=October 23, 1999|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 24, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

=== Permanent works ===
[[File:Peace fountain closeup.jpg|thumb|alt=Closeup of the Peace Fountain|Closeup of the ''[[Peace Fountain]]'']]

The pulpit green contains the ''[[Peace Fountain]]'', a large bronze work of public art by the cathedral's sculptor-in-residence, [[Greg Wyatt]]. It was commissioned in 1985 and depicts the struggle of good and evil; a battle between the [[Archangel Michael]] and [[Satan]]; and images of the Sun, the Moon, and several animals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://untappedcities.com/2013/11/26/daily-what-the-peace-fountain-at-saint-john-the-divine-features-the-decapitated-head-of-satan-and-9-giraffes/|title=Daily What?! The Peace Fountain at Saint John the Divine features the Decapitated Head of Satan and 9 Giraffes|last=Chernaya|first=Maria|date=November 26, 2013|website=Untapped New York|access-date=December 5, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/an-eccentric-sculptures-serendipity-1443002400|title=An Eccentric Sculpture's Serendipity|last=Kravitz|first=Derek|date=September 23, 2015|website=WSJ|access-date=December 5, 2019}}</ref>

== Advocacy ==
Throughout the years, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has been involved in various initiatives and projects. These programs included youth initiatives, a [[soup kitchen]], a [[homeless shelter]], and AIDS outreach. During the [[Vietnam War]], the cathedral was also part of the [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to United States involvement in the war]].<ref name="Lankevich 2003 p. 86" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/28/nyregion/an-unfinished-act-of-faith.html|title=An Unfinished Act of Faith|last=Fisher|first=Ian|date=December 28, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Temple of Understanding]], an interfaith organization, was housed at the cathedral for several decades in the late 20th century, moving to Midtown Manhattan in the 1990s.<ref name="Quirk pp. 151-152">{{harvnb|Quirk|1993|ps=.|pp=151–152}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/30/nyregion/juliet-garretson-hollister-84-led-temple-of-understanding.html|title=Juliet Garretson Hollister, 84; Led Temple of Understanding|last=Saxon|first=Wolfgang|date=November 30, 2000|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 25, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

Several programs have been directed toward helping members of the surrounding community. In 1971, the cathedral founded ACT (Athletics, Creativity, and Trips), a program that provided after-school activities and summer camp to children in the neighborhood.<ref name="StJ-History" /><ref name="Quirk pp. 151-152" /> The program still runs {{As of|2018||df=|alt=as of 2018}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ_SPRING_2018_180223_v1.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.stjohndivine.org/uploads/uploads/STJ_SPRING_2018_180223_v1.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Spring 2018 at the Cathedral|date=Spring 2018|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|pages=1, 3|access-date=December 25, 2019}}</ref> under the name "Advancing the Community of Tomorrow".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/education/act/|title=Advancing the Community of Tomorrow (ACT)|website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine|access-date=December 25, 2019}}</ref> In 1974, in response to a need for housing in New York City, St. John's created a program that became the [[Urban Homesteading Assistance Board]] (UHAB);<ref name="MG p. 1243" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uhab.org/news/self-help-housing-story-urban-homesteading-assistance-board|title=Self-Help Housing: The Story of the Urban Homesteading Assistance Board {{!}} UHAB|website=www.uhab.org|access-date=November 13, 2019|archive-date=April 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415200535/http://www.uhab.org/news/self-help-housing-story-urban-homesteading-assistance-board|url-status=dead}}</ref> by 1987, the program had helped residential tenants in over 500 buildings to renovate and take ownership of their houses.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/15/magazine/holiday-surprises-more-than-cathedral-st-john-divine-ari-l-goldman-ari-l-goldman.html|title=Holiday Surprises; More than a Cathedral: St. John the Divine |last=Goldman|first=Ari|date=November 15, 1987|work=[[The New York Times Magazine]]|access-date=November 13, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Additionally, a homeless shelter, crisis center, clothes closet, and kitchen are run by in-house volunteers.<ref name="Quirk pp. 151-152" />

== Deans ==
{{Div col}}
* [[William Mercer Grosvenor]] (1911–1916)<ref name="Quirk p. 26">{{Harvnb|Quirk|1993|p=26|ps=.}}</ref>
* [[Howard Chandler Robbins]] (1917–1929)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1952/03/21/archives/dr-robbr-is-dead-retired_preach_-dean-at-cathedral-of-st-johni-the.html|title=Dr. Robbins is Dead; Retired Preacher|date=March 21, 1952|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Milo Hudson Gates]] (1930–1939)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" />
* [[James P. deWolfe|James Pernette DeWolfe]] (1940–1942)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" />
* vacant (1942–1952)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" />
* [[James Albert Pike]] (1952–1958)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" />
* [[John Vernon Butler]] (1960–1966)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/09/20/obituaries/john-vernon-butler-77-dean-at-st-john-the-divine-in-60-s.html|title=John Vernon Butler, 77, Dean at St. John the Divine in 60's|date=September 20, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* vacant (1966–1972)<ref name="Quirk p. 26" /><ref name="NYT-Dean-1972" />
* [[James Parks Morton]] (1972<ref name="NYT-Dean-1972">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/05/26/archives/new-dean-at-st-john-the-divine-james-parks-morton.html|title=New Dean at St. John the Divine James Parks Morton|last=Fiske|first=Edward B|date=May 26, 1972|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>–1997<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/27/nyregion/ending-lively-era-dean-leaving-st-john-divine-innovator-s-work-done-even-if.html|title=Ending Lively Era, A Dean Is Leaving St. John the Divine;The Innovator's Work Is Done, Even if the Cathedral Is Not|last=Martin|first=Douglas|date=February 27, 1996|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>)
* [[Harry Houghton Pritchett Jr.]] (1997<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/28/nyregion/southern-rector-chosen-to-lead-st-john-the-divine.html|title=Southern Rector Chosen to Lead St. John the Divine|last=Gelder|first=Lawrence Van|date=September 28, 1996|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 5, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>–2001<ref name="NYT-Dean-2001" />)
* [[James A. Kowalski|James August Kowalski]] (2002<ref name="NYT-Dean-2001">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/17/nyregion/st-john-the-divine-chooses-a-dean-from-connecticut.html|title=St. John the Divine Chooses A Dean From Connecticut|last=Wakin|first=Daniel J|date=November 17, 2001|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>–2017<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://livingchurch.org/2016/08/27/ny-cathedral-dean-step-down/|title=N.Y. Cathedral Dean to Step Down|date=June 27, 2016|website=The Living Church|access-date=December 13, 2019}}</ref>)
* [[Clifton Daniel (bishop)|Clifton Daniel III]] (2018–2022)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://livingchurch.org/2018/06/20/st-john-the-divine-calls-bp-daniel/|title=St. John the Divine Calls Bp. Daniel|date=June 20, 2018|website=The Living Church|access-date=December 1, 2019}}</ref>
* Patrick Malloy (2022–2025)<ref>{{cite press release | title=Cathedral of St. John the Divine Names Canon Patrick Malloy as Acting Dean | website=Episcopal News Service | date=June 28, 2022 | url=https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/pressreleases/cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine-names-canon-patrick-malloy-as-acting-dean/ | access-date=January 5, 2024}}</ref>
* Winnie Varghese (2025 - present)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://religionnews.com/2025/07/18/winnie-varghese-becomes-first-woman-elected-dean-of-st-john-the-divine/|title='She is the future of our church.' Winnie Varghese named first woman dean of St. John the Divine. The election of Varghese, a queer woman of Indian descent, as dean of America’s largest Episcopal church represents a number of historic firsts.|work=Religion News|first=Fiona|last=Murphy|date=July 18, 2025|access-date=July 18, 2025}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

== Notable funerals and memorials ==
The following people are listed with the year of their funeral or memorial service in parentheses:
{{Div col}}
* [[Alvin Ailey]] (memorial, 1989), choreographer<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/12/09/obituaries/4500-people-attend-ailey-memorial-service-at-st-john-the-divine.html|title=4,500 People Attend Ailey Memorial Service at St. John the Divine|last=Dunning|first=Jennifer|date=December 9, 1989|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Arthur Ashe]] (memorial, 1993), tennis player<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-02-13-sp-1301-story.html|title=Thousands Pay Tribute to Ashe : Memorial service: Late tennis champion is honored by friends, politicians and others in New York.|last=Goldman|first=John J.|date=February 13, 1993|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 8, 2024}}</ref>
* [[George Balanchine]] (funeral, 1983), choreographer<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/11/01/arts/dance-world-pays-homage-to-balanchine-at-cathedral.html|title=Dance World Pays Homage to Balanchine at Cathedral|date=November 1, 1983|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[James Baldwin]] (funeral, 1987), writer, activist<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/12/09/arts/friends-gather-to-celebrate-baldwin-s-gifts.html|title=Friends Gather To Celebrate Baldwin's Gifts|last=Daniels|first=Lee A|date=December 9, 1987|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Joseph Brodsky]] (funeral, 1996), poet<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.newspapers.com/clip/14485314/brodskys_memorial_service_st_john/|title=Poems, of course, for Joseph Brodsky|last=Romano|first=Carlin|date=March 11, 1996|website=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=33|via=newspapers.com|access-date=July 17, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Joan Didion]] (memorial, 2022), writer and journalist <ref>{{Cite news |last=Bernstein |first=Jacob |date=2022-09-22 |title=A Star-Studded Goodbye to All That |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/style/joan-didion-memorial.html |access-date=2024-01-20 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[John Gregory Dunne]] (funeral, 2004), writer, journalist and husband of Joan Didion<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/24/nyregion/john-gregory-dunne-eulogized-at-cathedral.html|title=John Gregory Dunne Eulogized at Cathedral|last=Gross|first=Jane|date=March 24, 2004|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Duke Ellington]] (funeral, 1974), composer<ref name="NYT-Ellington-1974">{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1974/05/28/archives/fellow-musicians-among-12500-at-services-for-duke-ellington.html|title=Fellow Musicians Among 12,500 at Services for Duke Ellington|last=Buckley|first=Tom|date=May 28, 1974|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[James Gandolfini]] (funeral, 2013), actor<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/24/gandolfini-funeral-to-be-held-at-st-john-the-divine-in-manhattan/|title=Gandolfini Funeral to Be Held at St. John the Divine in Manhattan|last=Kepler|first=Adam W|date=June 24, 2013|website=ArtsBeat|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref>
* [[Dizzy Gillespie]] (funeral, 1993), musician<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/arts/thousands-gather-to-hear-praise-for-dizzy-gillespie.html|title=Thousands Gather to Hear Praise for Dizzy Gillespie|last=Watrous|first=Peter|date=January 13, 1993|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Allen Ginsberg]] (funeral, 1998), poet<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/05/16/arts/chanting-in-homage-to-allen-ginsberg.html|title=Chanting in Homage to Allen Ginsberg|last=Smith|first=Dinitia|date=May 16, 1998|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Jim Henson]] (memorial, 1990), Muppets creator<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/22/arts/henson-is-remembered-as-a-man-with-artistry-humanity-and-fun.html|title=Henson Is Remembered as a Man With Artistry, Humanity and Fun|last=Blau|first=Eleanor|date=May 22, 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Trevor Huddleston]] (memorial, 1997), anti-apartheid activist<ref name="StJ-History" />
* [[Richard Hunt (puppeteer)|Richard Hunt]] (funeral, 1992), Muppet performer<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/01/09/obituaries/richard-hunt-puppeteer-40.html|title=Richard Hunt; Puppeteer, 40|date=January 9, 1992|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Audre Lorde]] (funeral, 1993), poet, activist<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/13/arts/lorde-memorial.html|title=Lorde Memorial|date=January 13, 1993|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Toni Morrison]] (funeral, 2019), author<ref>{{Cite web|last=Shanes|first=Alexis|title=Toni Morrison's life celebrated in NYC: 'She opened the door and she turned on the lights'|url=https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2019/11/21/toni-morrison-celebrated-cathedral-st-john-divine-manhattan-ny/4241650002/|access-date=June 30, 2020|website=North Jersey Media Group}}</ref>
* [[Paul Moore Jr.]] (funeral, 2003), bishop<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/04/classified/paid-notice-deaths-moore-paul-jr.html|title=Paid Notice: Deaths; Moore, Paul Jr|date=May 4, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 11, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Eleanor Roosevelt]] (memorial, 1962), activist, diplomat, U.S. First Lady<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2012/11/eleanor-roosevelts-anything-but-private-funeral/264460|title=Eleanor Roosevelt's Anything-but-Private Funeral|last1=Peyser|first1=Marc|date=November 4, 2012|work=[[The Atlantic]]|access-date=November 4, 2012}}</ref>
* [[Nikola Tesla]] (funeral, 1943), inventor<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/01/13/archives/2000-are-present-at-tesla-funeral-cathedral-of-st-john-the-divine.html|title=2,000 Are Present at Tesla Funeral; Cathedral of St. John the Divine Is Scene of Yugoslav State Function for Scientist|date=January 13, 1943|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 4, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
* [[Terence Tolbert]] (funeral, 2008), political operative<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/10/eulogies-for-an-education-aide/|title=Eulogies for an Education Aide|last=Hicks|first=Jonathan P|date=November 10, 2008|website=City Room|access-date=December 11, 2019}}</ref>
{{Div col end}}

== Visitor access ==
In addition to worship services, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine offers both self-guided and guided tours of the interior exhibits, the cathedral close, and the gardens. These tours require paid tickets; there are discounts for seniors and students, as well as for those in tour groups. Admission is also included within several New York City tourist passes.<ref>{{cite web | title=Plan Your Visit | website=Cathedral of Saint John the Divine | url=https://www.stjohndivine.org/visit | access-date=June 30, 2025}}</ref>

== Landmark status ==
The Cathedral of St. John the Divine complex had been considered for designation as an official landmark by the [[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]] in 1966. At the time, St. John's trustees had opposed the move because the structure was incomplete, and a landmark designation would have required the commission to review every proposed major expansion thereafter.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40093530/|title=Parents Are Against Landmark At School|date=October 12, 1966|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=255|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The church's trustees were able to prevent designation by claiming the church was not completed, using a stipulation in the landmark's law that stated that potential landmarks had to have been completed for at least 30 years. A subsequent landmark designation was precluded in 1979 for a similar reason.<ref name="Gray 1990" />

In 2003, the exterior of the cathedral was again considered for landmark status; the interior was ineligible because the commission was legally unable to recognize religious buildings' interiors as landmarks.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/17/nyregion/landmark-just-wait-till-it-s-done-unfinished-st-john-divine-set-make-history.html|title=Landmark? Just Wait Till It's Done; An Unfinished St. John the Divine Is Set to Make History|last=Dunlap|first=David W|date=June 17, 2003|work=The New York Times|access-date=December 1, 2019|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> However, shortly after the commission conferred landmark status on the structure, the designation was unanimously overturned by the [[New York City Council]], some of whose members favored landmark status for the entire cathedral close instead of just the main building. Councilman [[Bill Perkins (politician)|Bill Perkins]] proposed that the protective status should also be extended to the cathedral's grounds in order to control development there.<ref name="NYTimes-Landmark-2003" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/40094789/|title=Church is Divine, not historic|date=October 25, 2003|work=New York Daily News|access-date=December 5, 2019|page=24|via=newspapers.com}}</ref> The lack of an official city landmark designation meant that the cathedral site could potentially be redeveloped,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ny.curbed.com/2015/8/24/9929338/why-nycs-most-magnificent-cathedral-is-not-landmarked|title=Why NYC's Most Magnificent Cathedral Is Not Landmarked|last=Nonko|first=Emily|date=August 24, 2015|website=Curbed NY|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref> and as such, two residential buildings were built on the same block as the cathedral.<ref name="McKeoghRentalBldgs" /> In 2017, the cathedral and six other buildings on the grounds were re-designated a New York City Landmark; the designation excludes the two new structures.<ref name="Curbed-Landmark-2017" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yimbynews.com/2017/02/cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine-designated-a-new-york-city-landmark-again.html|title=Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine Designated a New York City Landmark (Again)|date=February 28, 2017|website=New York YIMBY|access-date=November 29, 2019|archive-date=December 11, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171211122822/https://www.yimbynews.com/2017/02/cathedral-church-of-st-john-the-divine-designated-a-new-york-city-landmark-again.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2017/02/21/iconic-cathedral-church-of-st--john-the-divine-finally-landmarked--but-not-before-leasing-land-to-commercial-developers-|title=Iconic Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine Finally Landmarked, But not Before Leasing Land to Commercial Developers|last=Scotto|first=Michael|date=February 22, 2017|website=Spectrum News NY1 &#124; New York City|access-date=November 29, 2019}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of cathedrals in the United States]]
* [[List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan above 110th Street]]
* [[List of the Episcopal cathedrals of the United States]]

== References ==
=== Notes ===
{{Notelist}}

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== Sources ===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2017-St.-John-the-Divine-and-Cathedral-Close.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.neighborhoodpreservationcenter.org/db/bb_files/2017-St.-John-the-Divine-and-Cathedral-Close.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine and the Cathedral Close|date=February 21, 2017|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|ref={{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017}}}}
* {{cite morningside}}
* {{cite fednyc|ref={{harvid|Federal Writers Project|1939}}|pages=380–383}}<!--Federal Writers Project 1939-->
* {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/AGuideToTheCathedralChurch|title=A Guide to the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine: In the City of New York|last=Hall|first=Edward Hagaman|publisher=Laymen's club of the Cathedral|year=1920}}
* {{Cite enc-nyc2}}
* {{Cite journal|last=Macrae-Gibson|first=Gavin|date=November 1979|title=Reflections Upon the New Beginnings at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine|url=https://www.architecturalrecord.com/ext/resources/archives/backissues/1979-11.pdf?310280400|journal=Architectural Record|pages=119–126}}
* {{cite book|title=The living cathedral : St. John the Divine : a history and guide|last=Quirk|first=Howard|publisher=Crossroad|year=1993|isbn=978-0-8245-1237-8|location=New York|oclc=27725924}}
* {{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/newyorkanditsin00richgoog|title=New York and Institutions 1609–1873|last=Richmond|first=J.F.|year=1872|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newyorkanditsin00richgoog/page/n301 325]–327|publisher=E.B. Treat}}
* {{cite book | last=Smith | first=James Reuel | title=Springs and Wells of Manhattan and the Bronx, New York City: At the End of the Nineteenth Century | publisher=New York Historical Society | year=1938 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Z4BAAQAAIAAJ  | page=}}
* {{cite New York 1900}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|title=Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine|publisher=St. Bartholomew's Press|year=1916|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9r9V0nmzP94C&pg=PA41|ref=<!--{{sfnref | St. Bartholomew's Press | 1916}}-->}}
* {{cite web|url=http://nycnpc.org/db/bb_files/cathedral-church-st.johnthedivine-2003.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://nycnpc.org/db/bb_files/cathedral-church-st.johnthedivine-2003.pdf |archive-date=October 9, 2022 |url-status=live|title=Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine [Denied]|date=June 17, 2003|publisher=[[New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission]]|ref=<!--{{harvid|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2003}}-->}}  Supplementary material to {{harvnb|Landmarks Preservation Commission|2017}}.
* {{cite aia5|pages=492, 494}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Cathedral of St. John the Divine}}
* {{Official website|http://www.stjohndivine.org}}
* [http://www.saintsaviour.org/ Official website (Congregation of Saint Saviour at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine)]

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