Sag Harbor’s First Presbyterian Church, often called the Old Whalers Church, has experienced many evolutions since its first building was constructed in 1766. In 1816 that building, known as the Old Barn Church, was replaced with a larger meeting place for a growing congregation.
But again the gathering place was outgrown, and in 1844 a larger space was built. A prominent church architect of the early 19th century, Minard Lafever (1798-1854), was hired to design the structure that still stands today.
The church’s dedication took place on May 16, 1844, and included a sermon highlighting the symbolism of Solomon’s Temple, which is echoed in Lafever’s architectural design. Among the decorative details outside the church are popular Egyptian and Greek Revival elements.
Since that time, additional renovations and at times drastic changes to the church have occurred. Most famously, the 187-foot-tall Greek Revival steeple, which can be seen in photographs, was destroyed during the Hurricane of 1938. The steeple served as a beacon for whalers returning home from sea during the later years of Sag Harbor’s whaling industry.
In 1950, the building underwent an intensive two-year restoration to ensure its structural safety, which included roof repairs and an upgrade of the modern lighting system to fixtures inspired by the church’s earlier whale oil-fueled light sources.
This photograph, from the summer of 1995, belongs to the church’s archive. It documents another extensive restoration focused on the church’s ceiling. Scaffolding structures are visible all around the altar and stretch upward toward the high ceilings. Clear tarps cover the pews and the altar to protect them from debris and paint spatter.
The restored ceilings make use of “handmade egg and dart molding” and highlight the elaborate and detailed work that Art & Architecture Quarterly East End described as “Lafever’s genius.”
Mayra Scanlon is a librarian and archivist in the East Hampton Library’s Long Island Collection.
