The beautiful Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church was recently accepted to the New York State's Register of Historic Places and was nominated unanimously by the state to be included in the National Register of Historic Places. Good news for a lovely building. But did you know the interesting antecedents to this kind of church building?
In the mid-Atlantic and New England states, this style of church was popular among Protestants. It’s usually called the Wren-Gibbs style: a symmetrical arrangement with a rectangular tower centered on the box (nave). Christopher Wren was an English architect (most famous for St Paul’s Cathedral) who rebuilt many London churches after the Great Fire of 1666. The slightly later architect James Gibbs (1682-1754) was even more influential in the United States because he published a Book of Architecture with his designs in 1728.
Gibbs’ two most famous works are the Radcliffe Camera and St Martin-in-the-Fields church, which is in Trafalgar Square.
It’s easy to see the similarities between St Martin-in-the-Fields and Bridgehampton Presbyterian, although of course Bridgehampton is much more modest. Bridgehampton also has a neoclassic front elevation, with the columns of St Martin’s reduced to pilasters and the spire less elaborate. The design of these early churches was meant to reflect the more egalitarian Protestant style of worship; the earlier cruciform shape of churches was considered too Catholic.
Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church was built in 1842 by a Sag Harbor contractor; Nathaniel Rogers was on the building committee. Architect George Skidmore designed the porte-cochere later, and the clock and stained glass windows were added around 1907. (Many early churches had plain glass to maximize the light.)
Congratulations to the congregation for this honor!