Church of St. Joseph of the Holy Family

Designated: June 28, 2016

Like many Harlem churches, St. Joseph’s Church has evolved over 150 years to serve different populations and waves of immigrants. Pre-dating the Civil War and originally built for German Catholics, this simple sanctuary still has an active local population. This Harlem landmark is an oasis on 125^th Street, adorned in red brick with an equally handsome parish house, on a large lot of greenery. Across and down the street, 10- and 20-story buildings loom, as Harlem’s 125^th Street corridor continues to grow vertically. Here, though, there is still a little church which matches the red brick tenement buildings that surround it, creating a distinct enclave and discernible neighborhood, while development creeps north. This is one of the oldest buildings in Harlem, and it is the oldest church in Manhattan north of 44^th Street.

*image courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

STATUS Designated Individual Landmarks

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