St. Paul's Cathedral

The National Register nomination form sites St. Paul's as "an excellent example of an archaeologically correct church - the kind of church advocated by the Cambridge Camden Society, founded in England for the advancement of Medieval art and architecture." During the mid 1800's the Camden Society and others modeled after it like the New York Ecclesiological Society were advocating the importance of architectural purity for the building of churches. The New York Society recommended the Early English parish church as the most suitable model for religious edifices.

The architect for St. Paul's, Richard Upjohn, was also the designer of the the famous Trinity Church on Wall Street. At the time of their construction both churches were the tallest in their respective cities. Trinity was completed in 1846, while St. Paul's was completed in 1851.

Standing to the right of St. Paul's is The Guaranty Building, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Designed by Louis H. Sullivan and completed in 1894 it is nationally regarded as a milestone in modern skyscraper architecture. At thirteen stories the Guaranty Building is about half as tall as St. Paul's. In a few short years modern skyscrapers would dwarf our urban churches..

On Ascension Day in 1888, St. Paul's was almost lost to a fire that destroyed all but the church walls and the spire. At noon that day, the church still smoking, an exhausted fireman signaled that the church would survive by ringing the familiar church bells.