Cathedral of the Incarnation, Garden City

Infobox_nrhp | name =Stewart, A. T., Era Buildings
nrhp_type =


caption = The Cathedral of the Incarnation located in the Central Section of Garden City.
location= Garden City, New York
locmapin = New York
area =
built =1871
architect= Kellum,John; Harrison,Henry G.
architecture= Other, Italianate
added = November 14, 1978
governing_body = Local
refnum=78001864cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Cathedral of the Incarnation is an Episcopal church in Garden City, New York, and the cathedral church of the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island. The Cathedral was established in 1876 as a memorial to and mausoleum for Garden City founder, Alexander Turney Stewart. The building is a classic, imposing example of Gothic architecture, with its high main tower and dozens of finials.

The Cathedral likes to consider itself user- and family-friendly, welcoming people of all ages and creeds to participate in worship. The Cathedral offers three regular weekly services at 8 AM, 9:30 AM, and 11:15 AM on Sundays, the 9:30 and 11:15 services feature choral music by one of their various choirs.

The Cathedral has a historic music ministry. The Men and Boys Choir, which originated during the 1800s, was the reason that the Garden City train station was initially constructed--it existed to transport the boys from their homes in Brooklyn or Manhattan to rehearsals and services at the Cathedral. During the 1930s, the Cathedral became home to the first American cathedral girls' choir. Many of the alumni/a from these programs have gone on to pursue professional degrees in music or religion including professional jazz musician Alma Thomas.

Led by Canon Larry Tremsky, the Cathedral has a Girls Choir, a Men and Boys Choir, and a Schola Cantorum which is the women's choir. The repertoire of these choirs spans the gamut of choral music, from plainsong to modern works, and is selected carefully to coincide with the themes of the season. The choir normally sings an anthem at the Offertory and a motet during Communion, and also sings a complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass on the second and fourth Sunday of every month. Choral Evensong is sung on the first Sunday of each month in the traditional English cathedral model ("Magnificat, Nunc Dimittis", an anthem, Anglican Chant Psalms). Of course, there are special seasonal liturgies, including traditional Lessons and Carols one or two Sundays before Christmas.

Both the rich architecture and the exquisite musical tradition of this Cathedral make it an aesthetic pleasure and an asset to the community.

An interesting zoning law is that no building in the Village of Garden City can be taller than the Cathederal. One effect of this law was that condos that were put in the Village of Garden City, behind the Garden City Hotel, were put into a depression so that they would not be higher than the Cathederal.

References

External links

* [http://www.dioceselongisland.org/cathedral/cathedral_worship.html Cathedral of the Incarnation]
* [http://www.dioceselongisland.org/index.shtml The Diocese of Long Island]