The History of the Episcopal
Church of the Ascension
Rochester, New York
Est. 1886
The Episcopal Church of the Ascension has had a long history within the Maplewood Neighborhood of Rochester, New York. The Ascension community began with a series of cottage meetings in the Driving Parke Avenue area just south of our present building. The first cottage services were held in 1886 in a private home on the corner of Ranier Street and Lexington Avenue. People upon hearing of the new parish forming came from no only the immediate neighborhood, but also from St. James' Church across the river, and from Trinity Church.
Soon, the fledgling mission needed larger quarters than family living rooms for services. A Mr. Halsey stepped forward and offered the use of a building at 314 Lake Avenue. It was at this time that the congregation called itself the Chapel of the Advent. The new parish was enabled in 1888 to build its own small church on land given by Mr. Charles Burke, at the corner of Burke Terrace and Augustine Street. At this time, the church listed 20 families and 100 church school students on its rolls. The little brownstone church was completed and free of debt in 1893, and the parish celebrated by taking a picnic to Spencerport, traveling along the canal in the steamer called "Wide Awake."
By January, 1894, parish records indicate, "There is a general desire to improve the interior of the church and substitute pews for the noisy and unsightly chairs now in use." The remedy came in the form of a trade of Ascension's chairs to Christ Church, Rochester, for pews. When the pews arrived, carpenters shortened them and removed the “old fashioned" ends, replacing them with "ends [of] modern style". Some of the pews are still used in the Chapel of Remembrance.
As the neighborhood continued to grow, houses encroached on the farm fields along Birr and Augustine Streets. Number Seven School opened in 1907 and, with the closing of the race track on Driving Park Avenue, beautiful homes were built along Lakeview Park and Seneca Parkway by the executives of the rapidly-expanding Kodak plant. Horse cars ran along Lake Avenue, connecting downtown with Wagg' s Corners (Lake Avenue at Ridge Road West) and Charlotte.
In May 1908, the parish voted to incorporate as the Church of the Ascension. It was dedicated a year later, in May 1909. It is interesting to note that all during this period, the parish owned its building but the land upon where it stood was still held by the Parochial Fund, a diocesan corporation for holding property deeds for use by the Episcopal Diocese. It wasn’t until 1914 that the consent of Bishop William D. Walker was obtained for deeding of the property to the Wardens and Vestry of the Church of the Ascension.
The first record of plans for the present building appears in 1915. The Vestry's standing committee's list in 1915 shows a "New Church Committee," with the notation that it was to make plans and "begin overtures now and not in a dim future way." It is interesting that in 1921, as plans were beginning to jell for a new, larger church, the church school (155 strong!) petitioned the Vestry not to locate on the east side of Lake Avenue. The petition noted that many children lived on the west side of the avenue and would be unable to walk to church across the trolley tracks. The Vestry later concluded, however, that they could not refuse the gift of the site offered on the east side of the avenue where the church is now located.
The final design for the current building was designed by Maplewood resident, John F. Strobel, of the Rochester architecture firm, Crandell and
Strobel. The present building was completed in 1929 by A. Friedrichs & Sons working as the masons, and Leo Held as the carpenter. The west wall of the church is noted for the large pointed arch window of stained glass with cast stone tracery. This beautiful amber window is a reproduction of the window of Tintern Abbey, a thirteenth century abbey in the United Kingdom. The stained glass windows are of Tiffany style glass and depict biblical scenes. Of particular beauty but is not seen by many is the Compton Memorial Window depicting the Nativity on the north wall over the sanctuary. Likewise the partition separating the narthex from the nave portrays each of the disciples. There is a blank frame at the end stands for Judas Iscariot.
Facing the sanctuary, on the left is the Chapel of Remembrance, home to the Church’s original lighting fixtures, pews, altar, and altar furnishings. On the right, enclosed by a beautiful pointed arch leaded glass wall and door is the Chapel of Intercession. Inside this chapel is the Tracker organ from the original church that was given to the parish by St. Paul’s Church. In the sanctuary, behind the ornately carved, trefoil design oak walls is the Skinner organ (Opus 711) originally from the Auditorium Theatre. Given as a gift to the church in 1966 by Mrs. Wilhemina Beach, it has 4 manuals and 54 ranks totaling 3500 pipes and countless stops, making it a truly magnificent instrument.
A life-size statue of Jesus ascending above the altar is unusual for an Episcopal Church. It was cast in Italy and given in memoriam to the son of Judge and Mrs. Charles Rodenbach who died in World War I. When first installed, the statue was so controversial that the Rodenbachs left the church. Now it is much beloved and considered very appropriate since it is in The Church of the Ascension.
The history books tell us that Rochester did not suffer as much as other cities during the great depression. However, the fact remains that our community and churches did not go untouched. All businesses were affected and many failed. Hundreds of people were without work, and those were the days before welfare relief. As a result, pledges and payments on the mortgage fell far behind. As the depression deepened, the parish struggled to meet its obligations, but at times even the Rector's salary could not be paid out of the church treasury. St. Margaret's Guild, Ascension Guild and the other groups gave money towards it. For the next twenty years all parish activities were carried on against the background of this terrible burden.
In April 1931, the bank balance fell to $95.18 and a loan was taken from Genesee Valley Trust Company in order to pay the architect. As the year went on, contractors kept sending bills that went unpaid. In that same year, 1931, a desperate appeal went out to all members of the parish asking a $5.00 contribution toward expenses from each family. The records do not show how much was raised. The following year Mr. Beach suggested selling pews as a money-raising scheme. The plaques on the ends of several front pews on the main aisle still show the result of this endeavor.
Parish meetings spread the word of these troubles but people could not give what they did not have. In 1933, the Vestry took a loan to pay the architect and some salaries in arrears. Not long after war had been declared by the United States, our mortgagor, the Prudential Insurance Company, decided enough was enough and foreclosed the church mortgage. That was on May 18,1942. The company generously permitted the church to use the building until a new financial plan could be implemented.
A plan worked out by the Rector, Vestry, and Bishop saved Ascension. The basic plan
was that the Prudential Insurance Company would sell the church to the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester for $50,000, a loss to the company of $135,000 in principal and interest payments still owed. Moreover, the total debt of$185,000 at 6% would now be owed on $40,000 at a rate of 2% for the for the first two years and 3% for the following years. Integral to the plan was that the Bishop personally agreed to raise $10,000 and the parish $12,000 by August 1, 1942. Through the sacrifices of many people, both at Ascension and throughout the diocese, the money was raised or pledged in only six weeks! As it happened, it would take another ten years (not the five anticipated in 1942) before the new mortgage would be fully paid by "The Independence Fund Campaign" of the summer of 1942.
In September 1945, the war finally ended. As soldiers returned home the parish settled down to a peacetime existence.
In 1952, Ascension was the first parish in the diocese to hold regular healing services, and a teaching mission, conducted by members of the Order of the Holy Cross, West Park, New York. This work strengthened the faith of the parish. Also at this time the Maundy Thursday Watch was begun, when various members of the parish kept watch by the altar in the Chapel of the Intercession (This ceremony is symbolic of Jesus' agony in the Garden of Gethsemane). The church, finally having been cleared of debt, was re-consecrated November 2, 1952, by Bishop Dudley Scott Stark. It was a grand day for the parish which only ten years before was over its head in debts.
The need for more space became acute, so in 1964, plans were drawn up under the direction of Eugene Osborn for a two-story addition to the church building. After a successful capital funds drive for about $155,000, work was begun and completed in 1965. It was dedicated in 1968 and houses the church office, the rector's office, sacristy, and church school rooms and a large meeting room-library combination.
It was during the late 1970’s that community mission became a focal point of the parish’s ministry. The prime example was that Dick and Peg DenDunne started MEEK or the Maplewood Edgerton Emergency Kupboard, which still serves our area. Likewise there was a desire to minister to ourselves. An example of this is at the suggestion of Fred Frear, an area outside the church was set aside as a columbarium, called the Garden of Remembrance. Yet also in the seventies, the parish lists contained the names of many who had died or moved away, and these were eliminated, giving the appearance of a decline in parish membership.
In the early eighties the parish spent a great deal of effort of investigating liturgical and theological issues, a number of recommendations were made that would have the parish reflect a theological understanding of the liturgy which show a mature perspective of the church’s call to servanthood and away from the power image of the triumphant. Not all of these recommendations where well received and caused some consternation within the parish.
In 1999, upon the retirement of the Rector, Miriam E. Owens, who was much loved by the congregation, the large sign in front of the church was purchased in her honor. Also in 2001, she was named Rector Emeritus, the first one ever so named at Ascension.
In December 2000, our current Rector was called to be the eleventh Rector of
Ascension in our 115 year history. Unfortunately, the economic times of American corporate downsizing hit Ascension. It was noted that from the time that time until now that there were numerous members who worked for Kodak and we are now at the point where all of them have either been laid-off, left to find securer employment or retired. Though membership has had a steady declined since the mid-eighties as have all mainline churches, there is still the vitality and love for Ascension that keeps us going and doing God’s work in the world.
*The information for this short history was gleaned from several sources but primarily from CENTENNIAL 1886-1986 The Church of the Ascension, Rochester. New York.