The Cathedral of All Saints in Albany, New York, is one of those American churches that makes visitors do a double take.
Tucked on a side street near New York’s state Capitol, the sandstone cathedral feels as though it belongs somewhere in England. Everything about it — from the flying buttresses and pointed-arch windows filled with stained glass to the intricately carved baptismal font — is medieval.
The seat of the Episcopal bishop of Albany was the first cathedral purpose-built for American Anglicans. Its cornerstone was laid in 1884 with Governor (and later President) Grover Cleveland in attendance.
Notably, the cathedral was constructed using traditional techniques, meaning the arches, vaults and flying buttresses aren’t ornamental. More than a Gothic costume, they serve a structural purpose.
Finishing touches came through the largesse of Gilded Age benefactors, including financier J.P. Morgan, whose gifts funded the quire (or choir) and high altar. The result is a building where worshipers step back centuries even as they stand just blocks from the modern politics of the Empire State.
Without a doubt, Albany’s Episcopalians can say they have one of the better examples of Gothic revival anywhere in the United States.
Augustus W.N. Pugin, the champion of Gothic revival in the 19th century, would have approved of architect Robert Wilson’s design, which I’m told was inspired by the great English cathedrals in Canterbury, Lincoln and St. Albans.
Or at least how his design has thus far been executed. Only about 40% of the originally designed cathedral is built. Twin towers never rose at the west front. The crossing, meant to soar heavenward, was never finished.
This is perhaps most evident at the west front, which serves as the main entrance. Here, the simple facade, which was erected in the early 1970s, looks, at best, temporary and, at worst, cheap. Together with modern glass doors, it doesn’t do justice to the rest of the architecture.
The dean, the Very Rev. Leander Harding, spoke optimistically of finishing All Saints when he showed me around after a recent Sunday service.
Yet the reality is stark.
The Episcopal Church, like many Mainline Protestant denominations, has seen decades of decline. Even if numbers stabilized, the prohibitive costs all but guarantee the cathedral will remain unfinished — much like its better-known cousin, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City.
Even unfinished, what exists today is still extraordinary. The cathedral is a functioning house of worship, not a museum, and visitors who come for services experience it as intended.
If you go
The best way to visit the Cathedral of All Saints is by attending a service. Services are held at 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Sunday, 12:05 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8:30 a.m. and 9 a.m. Saturday.
Plan to arrive a little early. Sit midway down the nave for the best perspective of the choir and altar. Allow time afterward to wander quietly, taking in the details. Outside, circle the building. The buttresses are most impressive.
Dennis Lennox writes a travel column for The Christian Post.
Dennis Lennox writes about travel, politics and religious affairs. He has been published in the Financial Times, Independent, The Detroit News, Toronto Sun and other publications. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter.
