Work began on St. Patricks in 1859, but the Civil War postponed construction. The church was not completed until 14 years after the war, in 1879. St. Patricks is the seat of the Roman Catholic archbishop of New York, and is a wonderful example of Gothic ecclesiastical architecture, which prevailed in Europe in the 13th & 14th centuries. The cathedral was not completed when initially opened. The spires were lifted into place in 1889, and the Lady Chapel added in 1900.
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The cathedral seats approx. 2400 people. The structure is 405 feet long (1 1/3 football fields) by 174 feet wide, and the spires soar 303 feet high above the street below. St. Patricks was the dream of John Hughes, the first Archbishop of New York. James Renwick was hired as the architect in 1853, and the cathedral would evolve into his finest masterpiece. Renwick also designed the Smithsonian building in Washington, DC (see my Cityscapes: Washington DC section for a photo).
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