St. Raphael’s Church, named for an archangel, dominates views from Hunters Point, Blissville, Calvary Cemetery, and Sunnyside. It was built in 1885 here at Greenpoint and Hunters Point Avenues and replaced an earlier structure; the parish dates to 1865. The reputed architect is Patrick Keely, the famed architect of mostly Catholic churches in the 19th Century. Until about 35 years ago this was easily one of the tallest buildings in western Queens.
As always, the most comprehensive history of this church, as well as others, is found on the American Guild of Organists’ NYC pages.
The parish of St. Raphael was established in 1865, and the first Mass was said in November 1868 by Rev. Theodore Goetz, who attended the parish from Winfield. At the time, the area was known as Blissville, named for Neziah Bliss, inventor, shipbuilder and industrialist, who owned most of the land in the 1830s and 1840s. Blissville was bordered by Calvary Cemetery to the east, Newtown Creek to the south, Dutch Kills (a tributary of Newtown Creek) to the west, and the Queens-Midtown Expressway to the north. Blissville existed as a small village until 1870 when it was incorporated with the villages of Astoria, Ravenswood, Hunters Point, Dutch Kills, Middletown, Sunnyside and Bowery Bay into Long Island City.
Located on Greenpoint Avenue at Borden Avenue, the first church was a wooden frame building that would serve as the mortuary chapel for Calvary Cemetery. The second pastor, Rev. N. J. Farrelly, who succeeded Father Goetz after his sudden death in 1879, was determined to build a new and larger church. In 1881, the old church was demolished to make room for the new, and Bishop Loughlin laid the cornerstone for the present church on June 18th that same year. However, due to a lack of funds only the stone basement was completed by Christmas. Over the next four years, sufficient funds were raised and the completed church was dedicated by Bishop Loughlin on June 7, 1885. Built of brick and sandstone, the church is 149 feet long, 69 feet wide, and the height of the steeple is 150 feet. It is believed that the Gothic-style church was designed by Patrick Keely.
St. Raphael’s elementary school was forced to close in June 2012 because of declining enrollment and rising costs.
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12/13/23
5 comments
My father grew up in Blissville/Woodside in the 1920’s and 1930’s in a newly-constructed row house on 47th Street. Apparently, the area roads were not paved for years. He often recalled walking to St. Raphael’s on Sundays by keeping to the trolley tracks on Laurel Hill Boulevard and trying to get to Mass without becoming mud-splattered.
My great-great-great grandfather and g-g-g grandmother attended the first mass there. They were early members of St. Mary’s of Winfield parish and were close to Fr. Goetz and his predecessor Fr. Brunemann.
“St. Raphael’s school was forced to close because of declining enrollment and rising costs”
Makes you wonder how a cherished institution like St. Anselm’s is still able to hold on.
Must be the star studded alumni list.
It closed? I know two people who go there for church school. I pass by it often and see people around it as well.