The authoritative source on
  early churches of New Jersey

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We've created a database and photographic inventory on more than half the 18th & 19th century churches in the state and add to it each month. We welcome and solicit all contributions and suggestions from our visitors.

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   Photographic Inventory

St. John's Episcopal Church
Passaic, Passaic County

Passaic has several notable churches from the late nineteenth century and this fine stone building, erected in 1896 (I think) is one of the best. It is not nearly as large as the adjacent First Reformed, and its reddish sandstone color blends in with its surroundings much better compared to the intrusiveness of the whitish-gray stone of its neighbor, but I find the rambling design quite interesting from an aesthetic perspective. There seems to be two connected sanctuaries here (I did not get inside to look around); the functions and activities served by churches following the Civil War had expanded greatly to include not only Sunday School and Bible study, but also social and civic events and sometimes even athletic facilities, so we should not be surprised when we find a building that incorporates much more than a large auditorium. The architect was Newark's William Halsey Wood, who was responsible for a half dozen of the most innovative churches in the state, including the remarkable Byzantine structure in Newark, the Peddie Memorial Baptist church.

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Copyright (c) 2006 Frank L. Greenagel