St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery — Attraction in New York

Beautiful old landmark church. It's a shame that it is so badly managed. There is just no excuse for it. A giant missed opportunity to maintain and explore the cultural heritage of the area while still being used as a house of worship and a community resource. Instead you get an unwelcoming, poorly kept dog run graveyard sandpit on 2nd Avenue. This was once the respected final resting place for those who came before us, including historical figures of no small significance. Dance Space and the Poetry Project are great community services, but they can't fix the basic management issues that undermine the potential for this place to be an educational experience for all who might wish to visit here. A docent should be guiding visitors through these historic grounds. Instead, they are trampled on and broken old furniture is carelessly scattered on the gravestones.

Peter Stuyvesant must be turning...

This is the location of the longest standing religious house of worship in New York. The original building was a small chapel built by Peter Stuyvesant, whose remains are interned at the foot of the “new” church. The courtyard is also a graveyard which had many notable historical figures including Daniel Tompkins who was the fourth governor of New York (1807 - 1817), and the sixth vice president of the United States (1817 to 1825).

The church also acts as a center for arts with an ongoing calendar of events. It is said that first Sam Shepherd play was performed here in the mid 1960’s just to give you a sense.

If you are in the area or live nearby it’s worth a visit and plan to return when there is something on.

New Years Day 2024 will feature a poetry marathon from 11am till Midnight....

Beautiful and super historic church. The present church is celebrating its 225th anniversary in 2024. The church was originally founded when New York was still New Amsterdam. The church has monuments to Petrus "Peter" Stuyvesant (c. 1610-1672), director-general of New Netherland from 1647 to 1664, and other members of the Stuyvesant family. Also note the monuments for Daniel D. Tompkins (1774-1825), former Vice President of the United States under President James Monroe, after whom Tompkins Square Park is named. As pointed out by the church, the Stuyvesant family was involved in the global system of enslaving people of African heritage. Note the commemoration of enslaved individuals right in the entrance vestibule...