The Community Church of New York is the first postwar modern religious building in Murray Hill according to Robert A. M. Stern’s New York 1960 tome. It was built in 1948 by the firm of Magoon and Salo. Not much is known of Salo, but Magoon worked on several major Robert Moses WPA-era projects in New York City. He designed the famed Jones Beach campanile and bathhouses, visible to all as you drive toward the beach, was the lead architect for the Sunset Play Center and pool in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and worked on the Crotona Play Center in The Bronx. According to the Sunset Play Center designation report, Magoon relocated to Los Angeles by 1962. Robert A. M. Stern’s New York 1960 has an image of the original church interior and the church’s website includes some current images.
The building seems extremely modest today as the facade is unadorned brick and the windows either glass block or vertical rows of leaded windows with small, square panes. The entrance to the sanctuary is up a short flight of stairs to a large landing, fronting on a row of patterned doors.
The early modern sculpture, Isaiah, on the facade was done by Moissaye Marans
Amazing original lettering throughout as well.
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