50 Oldest Churches of NYC: French Evangelical Church

Posted on by Thor

The small brick church building at 126 West 16th Street in New York City, had been built around 1835 when the Chelsea neighborhood was just developing. It first housed the Catholic Apostolic Church, an offshoot of the Catholic Church founded in the 1820s. Among the sect’s strong beliefs was that the Second Coming was imminent—precisely it would happen in 1835.  As it turned out, 1835 came and went and the date of the Second Coming was pushed off.

.  The French Evangelical Church was a Presbyterian congregation founded in 1846 by the Belgium-born Antoine Frederick Twyeffort. The French Evangelical Church was a Presbyterian congregation founded in 1846 by the Belgium-born Antoine Frederick Twyeffort.  The 16th Street church was sold to the French Evangelical Church in 1885

The French Evangelical Church commissioned Alfred D. F. Hamlin to remodel the out-of-style church.  The architect redid the interiors and updated the façade in the German version of Romanesque Revival called Rundbogenstil.  The result was a chunky mass with a central arch outlined in dentil brickwork.  Well above the sidewalk, arched entrance doors on either side carried on the rhythm of the collection of arches in the main structure.

Then, after 125 years in its brick home, the church made new plans.  In August 2010 it sought proposals from developers to gut the building, renovate the cellar, first and second floors for church use, and build an 11-story residential tower above it. As the building began rising in 2013, residents complained.  The resulting sore thumb would not only diminish the important 1835 church next door, but successfully obliterate the charm of the block.

In 2022 the church is enveloped in the glass and cement sky rise residential structure. It is listed at the Ephesians Mennonite Church. A central doorway was added to the ground floor of the brick structure and 11 stories of apartments loom overhead.

South Carolina

Posted on by Thor

We took an extended weekend road trip to South Carolina to visit one of my sisters who lives there. As soon as my virtual 3pm class ended on Friday, we were out the door and into the already packed car. I brought along my laptop and iPad since I would be teaching from the Air B&B in South Carolina. Pan drove straight through and we were settled in before midnight. Torrential rain and fog made the last leg of the trip an adventure.

The Air B&B unfortunately was downwind of a paper mill which gave off an acrid stench. Indoors the small was less overwhelming. The place was pet friendly, so Donkey and Sprout were along for the ride. The living room had the largest TV I have ever seen on top pf a home made crate made from two by fours and plywood. We never once turned it on.

The next day Pam and out house guest explored Charleston, South Carolina while I taught virtually all day. For most students this was their last class, so they finished up paintings and drawing that had been in the works for some time. With the animation student I executed a walk which is a more complex assignment and I was pleased that he caught every nuance of what I was explaining through my sketches.

After my classes were over, I was picked up and we went to downtown Charleston for some ice cream and a ghost tour. The ice cream parlor was packed and we were the only people wearing masks. The streets as well were jam packed with people from wedding parties and pub crawls. As the evening wore on, belligerent drunks became the norm. I was almost attacked as a “Biden lover” for daring to wear a mask.

The painting above was done on our last day in Charleston. Before we left, we went on a Geo-cache outing. Geo-caches are tiny canisters hidden at geo-coordinates. Apparently inside are little trinkets and a note pad. I helped search for the first one at a busy interaction but we never found it. After that I decided to settle in under a tree and just sketch the park entrance to a development. It was getting hot and sketching seemed preferable to the search.

Time was limited so I sketched quickly. They found about three Geo-caches while I worked on this. Charleston is a gorgeous city to sketch with all it’s historic architecture but we were in and out for this quick weekend trip. My sister has sketches I had done on a previous Charleston trip hug in her living room. They were decent sketches and they made me yearn to do more. It is probably better to sketch in the fall and or winter when it isn’t over 90 degrees every day.

My visit with my sister was amazing. We discussed family history and she has so much research which verifies and expands on the research I have been doing. I am certain we only scratched the surface, but we are in contact all the time via Facebook and messenger. The important thing is we can now view my research on line so she can see info I might have that she hasn’t seen yet. I was going to contact a church in NYC to try and locate some baptism and marriage records for a family. The churches web site said that it cost $50 for them to try and find a record. I knew there would be records found so I was considering the option. It turns out my sister had done all this research years ago, she had a folder full of the exact records I was hoping to find. I counted 23 records. Multiply that by $50 each, and she had $1,150 worth of records which they gave away back in the day. Figuring out the branches with thousands of names became a bit overwhelming, but now we can narrow conversations down to one question at a time.

Come Alive

Posted on by Thor

Encore presents Come Alive, in Steinmetz Hall in the Doctor Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on Friday August 19th at 8 PM to Sunday Aug 21, 2022 at 11 PM. Tickets are $19. I went to sketch a rehearsal in Steinmetz Hall. It seemed to be their first time in the venue since much time was spent trying to arrange the seating for the hundreds of singers in the chorus. All of the singers could not fit on the second level, so twenty five volunteers went to an even higher level to sing. There are 135 singers in the chorus and 60 in the orchestra.

It’s time to celebrate 20 years of Encore. Come see Encore alumni from across the country collaborate with new talent to perform songs from some of their favorite movies and musicals. In this exciting concert, you’ll hear the highlights from Encore performances across the years and fantastic new selections from the stories that currently capture their hearts. Join Encore as they take a fond look back at the past and an enthusiastic leap into the future!

We walked back stage to get to our seats in the hall. This is a truly awesome venue and I hope to someday to have the chance to sketch the amazing structures we walked past back stage. One structure looked like a two story tall fire hose reel and I cant figure out what it might do. There is more to this hall than what first meets the eye.

There were so many powerhouse singers in the cast. The show moves from one musical number to the next in quick succession with each song more uplifting than the last. It was an inspiring evening. When the full chorus joins in on a number you can feel all the voices as they reverberate in your chest.

COVID-19 Warning: An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. COVID-19 is a highly contagious disease that may result in personal injury, severe illness, and death. By visiting the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and or attending the Dr. Phillips Center shows, events, education programs, classes or other activities, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19. All visitors must follow the Center’s health and safety protocols. Please help keep each other safe.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: First Chinese Presbyterian Church

Posted on by Thor


The First Chinese Presbyterian Church on 61 Henry Street in New York City was built between 1817-19. The land for the church was donated by Revolutionary War patriot, Colonial Henry Rutgers. It first opened it’s doors in 1819 as the Market Street Dutch Reformed Church. In 1864, the Dutch Reformed Church disbanded. The church building was then bought by Hanson K. Corning in 1866 and it was transferred to the Trustees of New York Presbytery to be occupied by the Church of Sea and Land which served the seamen community in the area.

In 1868, mission work began within the Chinese community in New York City. On December 18, 1910, the First Chinese Presbyterian Church was incorporated at 223 East 31 Street. In 1951 the church moved to 61 Henry Street, sharing the historic church building with the Sea and Land Church. The Sea and Land Church was dissolved in June of 1972.

The church building has the distinction of being the second oldest in New York City. In 1966 the church building and the 1824 Erben pipe organ were designated as historic landmarks.

Pandemic Panera’s

Posted on by Thor

For the last Urban Sketching class, I had my students sketch in Panera’s. We had already covered how to sketch an interior by sketching the classroom and I gave a refresher on how to populate a scene with people. Myself and two of my students were wearing masks in the classroom. Hospitalizations for the BA5 variant had reached a peak and were hovering at about 40,000 COVID patients each day. 300 to 400 people continue to die each day from the virus, but despite this, most people are “done” with COVID though the pandemic is far from over.

I had just dodged a bullet since a house guest had contracted the virus and we isolated for 10 days. Somehow, even while living with the virus Pam and I managed to not get infected. We have taken every simple precaution since the start of the pandemic, masking, social distancing and hand washing.

One of my students had been infected. She had stayed clear of the virus for over two years, but her husband brought home the BA5 and they both got sick. My other masked student has managed to evade infection and wants to continue to do so.

Both of my masked students decided to sketch Panera’s from outside, and I applaud them for that choice. I ordered some food and ate it outside. Then I masked up with a KN-95 held in place by my well worn cloth mask. I was the only masked person inside Panera’s except the person who took my order.

One student asked me to sign my Urban Sketching book, which surprised me. Three other students arrived late after they ran across the note on the classroom door letting them know where we would be sketching. They missed all my introductory remarks, but I worked with each to bring them up to speed. They remained unmasked. This is the reason I have tended to hold off on sketching at indoor venues with students. I am unable to protect them from themselves.

A few days later the CDC lifted many of their suggestions for quarantining and social distancing. I know the reduced 5 day quarantining was instated by the CDC to be sure that health care workers could be available as the hospitals filling up with COVID patients. It was never intended to become a general policy for everyone. Now even the 5 day quarantine has been abandoned to keep people at work. Close contact no longer involves taking precautions.

People refuse to protect themselves against a virus they can not see. I will continue to take the precautions I have been taking since the start of the pandemic. I know full well that politics play a greater roll in deciding how COVID recommendations  are decided. I also know that any recommendations are ignored my most people regardless. You can choose your own COVID adventure.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Grace Church Concert

Posted on by Thor

The first worship service at Grace Church was held on Sunday, December 21, 1808 in a modest building at the corner of Broadway and Rector Street, some two miles south of where the church sits today. That humble site is where the Empire State building stands today.

New York City was expanding northward, and in 1843 a site was chosen and property purchased in what was then an apple orchard owned by Henry Brevoort, Jr. at Broadway between Tenth and Eleventh Streets. The commission to design the church was given to , James Renwick, Jr., a civil engineer who had never built anything so grand. His largest previous work had been a part of the Croton Reservoir at 42nd Street.

The rector, Thomas House Taylor, toured Europe extensively looking at church designs around the continent. He returned energized and adamant that the new church would be in the Gothic style. Renwick poured himself into the project, sketching a Gothic design mainly from books and collected anecdotes. The building was completed in 1846, and consecrated on March 7th of the same year

Due to significant financial strain, the new church was far less ornate than what stands today. The windows were of lightly tinted glass and the steeple was built of wood rather than marble. The marble steeple was eventually added in 1883.

Carriage House

Posted on by Thor

At the Phantasmagoria photo shoot in Sanford, the carriage house behind the historic home was turned into a dusty attic space filled with props from past shows. Thin lace hing fro the rafters like spider webs and draped itself over an antique wooden wheel chair.

Each cast member in turn searched the space while the photographer took shots.  Each actor explored the space in their own unique way. Puppets from past performances were hidden among the attic clutter. Punch sat comfortably in his rocking chair while a human skull dominated an end table.

It was a rather hot day and two large fans circulated the air in the room. There is clearly no insulation in this old carriage house structure. Since each photo shoot was over in an instant, I struggled to piece together one performer by taking bits and pieces from multiple performances.

Summer Camp

Posted on by Thor

Teaching Elite Animation Academy virtual summer camps has lead me to drawing some odd stuff. One issue beginning students have is not knowing what to draw. In a world full of billions and billions of things to draw I find this notion confounding.Many beginning students are caught up in drawing cartoon characters to impress friends and family. I try and break them away from that habit to draw the world around them.

In the foundation drawing class I ask students to first draw their hand while not looking at the page. You can tell when a student looked when a drawing comes back where the line touches where it began. We attack that assignment a few times until I convince them to make an absolute mess.

Then we do the same thing but glance down every time the pencil needs to be re positioned to start a new line.  Each line is a bit meandering since it moves at the same pace as the eye across the object. This idea of visually touching the object takes time and practice to convey.

Then we turn to any object in the room. I chose this rough carved panther head which is an unused book end for my book case. Lines don’t close off shapes and there are dozens of mistakes but there is some very deliberate observation in each line put down. If you add some color, it all pulls together.

Studio in May

Posted on by Thor

For my Elite Animation Academy virtual Urban Sketching class, I usually ask the students to sketch the room they are in. It is a good lesson in one point perspective and adding objects inside a space. I have been teaching seven days a week all summer, so I have done a few of these studio studies. The first thing I teach is to find a vanishing point and a horizon. Sine we are not outside the horizon isn’t obvious. a clue can be found in the lamp shade against the far wall. The bottom of the shade arcs down meaning it is below the horizon, and the top of the lamp shade arcs up meaning it is above the horizon. The horizon might be the top of the roll top desk, or just below. The vanishing point is above that small stack of books just to the right of THOR.

Since my students usually work much slower than I do, I tend to have time to add paint and push the piece a bit further than just the line drawing. This particular piece started with me blocking in all the foreground elements in a warm yellowish tone. The studio lights were on and the far room lights were not, so they got very different color treatments. The outdoors were painted pure white to start and light versions of outdoors colors were added over the white to keep the outdoors bright.

Like most of my sketches done on location, I had to finish in about 2 hours. When class was over, I closed up the tablet and had to consider it done.

Mackay Elementary School

Posted on by Thor

I have been teaching virtual drawing classes seven days a week all summer. Each time I teach foundation drawing I like to do a demo in two point perspective by drawing a building. I always encourage the students to draw their own home or a place they go to often. To keep the assignment interesting for myself I always draw a new building from my past using google maps as a reference.

After 1972, I moved to Tenafly, New Jersey and transferred to Mackay Middle School. I remember that in one class I was encouraged to make use of my drawing skills to make political cartoons. I remember drawing Nixon and Kissinger in class. It might seem a bit odd for a 10 to 13 year old to have an interest in producing political cartoons, but I enjoyed interpreting the news of the day. My dad had a subscription to the New York Times and he taught me how to scan the headlines to find the articles I wanted to read. This is a habit that persists to this day.

It is funny that it took many years before I came back around to the interest that I had back in middle school. Though my COVID series has slowed down due to the summer work load, I continue to create illustrations that some might consider political cartoons. I consider them my explorations of the theater of the absurd.

This school and the high school were close enough to the Knickerbocker home so that I walked there and back. I never took a bus to school.