405 e. Main St., Batavia, New York. County/parish: Genesee.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places September 24, 2004. NRIS 04001062.
2 contributing buildings. 1 contributing structure.St. James Episcopal Church is located on East Main Street (New York State Route 5) in Batavia, New York, United States. It is a stone Neo-Gothic structure built in the early 20th century.
It was the first of 65 similar churches, most also in Western New York, designed by Robert North, a former choirboy at the church. His design was informed by a trip he made to England, paid for by the dying widow who also underwrote the church's construction and wanted a design inspired by "the quiet spirit of the English countryside". North also followed contemporary architects like Ralph Adams Cram in their desire to extend the Gothic style beyond its medieval models, and made early use of newer building materials like reinforced concrete and cast stone.
It is the third building to house the church, which dates to the early years of Batavia's settlement a century before the church's construction. In 2004 the church building, its rectory and a stone wall were listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Around the same time it faced a scandal surrounding the dismissal of its pastor, and the costs of maintaining an aging building raised doubts as to whether the church could continue using it. Fundraising efforts have enabled the church to restore its bell tower.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75317914