St Thomas Church was built by Ralph Adams Cram and Bertram Goodhue from 1911 to 1913, and designed in 1906 in the Gothic Revival style. The church’s structure originally did not contain any steel reinforcements, as Cram and Goodhue believed that if they were going to build a Gothic church, its structure should be built that way. When the church was completed eleven years later, the church’s walls started to bulge, so steelwork was added. When the New York City Subway’s 53rd Street Line was being constructed, steelwork was added under the altar and reredos. The church features beautiful woodwork, but the most striking part of the church is the intricate 80ft high reredos, consisting of more than 60 stone figures of religious figures related to the story of St Thomas. The reredos was designed by Lee Lawrie and Bertram Goodhue, and executed by Edward and Charles Ardolino. The second time I visited, I brought a printed sheet with a guide to each figure on the reredos and the exterior (scroll to the bottom of this link to find them)!
