The church, founded by Rev. John H. Dooley, was built in 1906–1907 as a brick and stone chapel and three-story parish house, all over the basement, to designs of F. A. de Meuron of Main Street, Yonkers, New York, for $45,000.[1] The structure was a five-bay three-storey Beaux-arts brick school house with a stone-quoined breakfront occupying the central three bays that contained a temporary church and rectory. The new church, school, and rectory cornerstone was laid on November 11, 1906, and the structure was dedicated on June 30, 1907 by Archbishop John Farley.[3]
These buildings were replaced in 1930 with a new church and rectory built 1930 to the designs by Thomas Dunn and Frederick E. Gibson.[2] The current church, school, and convent were dedicated on October 25, 1936.[3] The church was designed in 1935 by Wilfred E. Anthony.[2] The current baptistery survives from F. A. de Meuron's original 1906 church.[3]
Although the classical exterior of the church is not prepossessing, the interior is widely admired. Time Out New York calls it "gorgeous,"[6] while the AIA Guide to NYC urges passersby to enter and admire a sanctuary that looks as though it was designed by a disciple of Sir Christopher Wren.[7]
^ abcdef"Liturgy". Archived from the original on December 28, 2010. Retrieved January 19, 2011. HISTORY OF CORPUS CHRISTI CHURCH] (Accessed January 19, 2011)
^William Henry Shannon, Thomas Merton, Thomas Merton's Paradise Journey: Writings on Contemplation, (London and New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2000), p.278
