St. John's Church (Orange, NJ)

The Church of St. John the Evangelist (commonly called St. John's Church) is a Gothic Revival architecture style Roman Catholic church in the United States and a prominent landmark of the City of Orange Township, Essex County, New Jersey. It is a parish church, located at 94 Ridge Street, Orange, New Jersey.HistoryPurchase of the propertyThe land on which the present church sits was purchased in 1865 for the sum of $10,000. It is located on the highest hill west of Manhattan and east of First Watchung Mountain.Construction of the churchThe church was designed by Jeremiah O'Rourke in the Gothic Revival style. O’Rourke was a Newark architect who specialized in church architecture. Nearby examples of his work are the chapel at Seton Hall University (1863) and the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, Newark, New Jersey (begun in 1898). The parish school, Columbus Hall, also designed by O'Rourke, was erected in 1894 across the street from the church. O’Rourke’s design for St John’s Church is a Victorian adaptation of German Gothic architectonics.Like many other 19th century houses of worship in the Orange Valley, the church’s exterior is faced with locally quarried brownstone. Philanthropist and real estate speculator Llewellyn S. Haskell donated the stone for St. John’s from his quarry in West Orange.Under the direction of the pastor, Rev. Edward M. Hickey, work began on June 24, 1866. The cornerstone was blessed by James Roosevelt Bayley (first Bishop of Newark) on September 23 of that year, and the church was dedicated by Bishop Bernard John McQuaid of Newark on October 10, 1869. With its huge proportions and position on the highest hill between Manhattan and First Watchung Mountain, the building—which replaced a modest frame church that had been constructed nearby in 1851—dominated the area.