St. Francis Xavier Church

St. Francis Xavier Church is a Roman Catholic church in Manhattan at 30-36 West 16th Street between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue) in the Flatiron District neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City.HistoryFounded in 1851 by Jesuits from the village of Fordham, the original sanctuary, designed by William Rodrigue, was the scene of a panic on March 8, 1877 when someone shouted "Fire!" in the church during a Mass; seven people died. This church was torn down in 1878. Built over the next four years, the current church has been in use since 1882. Designed by Irish-born architect Patrick Charles Keely - who over his career designed hundreds of churches - the exterior of the church is Neo-baroque in style, while the interior has stained-glass windows with a pre-Raphaelite character.A campaign for the extensive restoration and preservation of the church that began in 2001 was completed in 2010 under the direction of EverGreene Architectural Arts and Thomas A. Fenniman architect.