February 25, 2004: St. Mark's Church in the Bowerie
The other day I was having lunch at the 2nd Avenue Deli, and afterwards I decided to take a little stroll to walk off the corned beef sandwich. Across the street, I noticed that the gates of the St. Marks in the Bowerie churchyard were open, so I decided to go in and take a look around. I discovered a lovely little graveyard, with an impressive bust of Petrus Stuyvesant, namesake of my high school. Apparently, the site where the church now stands was once the location of his private family chapel. I also thought it was the location of the famous Stuyvesant Pear Tree, but apparently that was a couple of blocks up Second Avenue at 13th Street.
I've always loved how the church is set at an angle. It takes on a very different kind of presence that way.
Also, the benches are good for making out late at night, when you're wanding around on your second date.
nice set. i've never noticed the details of that place before...
if you look on the wall of the church you'll note that stuy actually has a vault there. nice shot of the winthrop vault though, when i was little and had preschool at the third street music settlement, which moved across from the church in the early eighties, we used to go butterfly hunting in there and that vault was always my favorite part. they've really let the yard go though, it used to have lots of grass and now it's just dust.
if you ever go back i recommend a look at the bell from the old steeple (it burned down a while back, a sign somewhere explains). when i was little i thought it was the liberty bell (oops), but i'm positive that the crack going down it gets bigger each year.
Stuyvesant's the most over-rated jackass in NY history. 1) He was an atrocious bigot, even by the lax standards of the day - he tortured Catholics and tried to expel Jews. 2) A hardcore Calvinist, he tried to ruin everybody's fun, every chance he got. 3) He surrendered the colony to the British without a fight.