Read an Overview of the Collegiate Church and its History. Use the Table of Contents down the left side of the page to explore our history in pictures and in words.
		There was a congregation before there was a minister, before there was a church. From the time the first settlers had arrived in New Amsterdam, limited religious services conducted by laymen had been held in an empty loft room above the Dutch colony's mill, in a location on what is now William Street. With the April 7, 1628 arrival of an ordained minister, Dominie Jonas Michaelius, and the selection of the first Consistory, the Collegiate Church was born in the new world. This 1628 date marks the founding of the oldest Protestant body in America with a continuous history of service. But for the first five years of the Collegiate Church, services continued to be held above the mill. In 1633 the first church ever built in New Amsterdam was constructed to replace the loft room. This church, facing the East River, was a plain wooden building, with a gambrel roof and no spire, on a lane that is now Pearl Street. Nearly ten years later, it was replaced by a stone church built within the walls of the fort. The church's spire and weathercock towered over the walls of the fort, so that they were the first sight seen as ships sailed into the harbor of New Amsterdam. This church, however, was in time taken over by the British to serve as a military garrison. To replace it, the Garden Street Church was built in 1693, on what is now Exchange Place. On May 11, 1696, King William III of England granted a full charter to the Dutch Church in America. This royal charter established the Collegiate Church firmly on American soil. The charter not only served to give the church a new sense of security, it also set the stage for further expansion. As one church became crowded, a larger church was built to replace the old; as new areas of the colony became settled, churches were built to serve the new communities. An example of such growth is the establishment of the original Middle Collegiate Church, on Nassau Street near Cedar in 1729. A North Church was added in 1769, to serve a growing congregation. In 1839, a second Middle Church was built on Lafayette Place, as the churches continued to move uptown with the population. With the building in 1854, at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 29th Street, of a church known variously as the Fifth Avenue Collegiate Church, the 29th Street Church, and finally as Marble Collegiate, we come to the oldest building of our current four Collegiate Churches in Manhattan. The new Middle Church (at Second Avenue and Seventh Street) and the West End Church (at West End Avenue and Seventy-seventh Street) were built in 1891 and 1892, respectively. The newest Collegiate Church in Manhattan is the Fort Washington Church, dedicated in 1909. These are the four Collegiate Churches of today. The Collegiate Church is the oldest Protestant Church in North America with continuous ministry since 1628. New York State's oldest institution, it has ministered under three flags—Dutch, English, and American. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. The Collegiate Church maintains four places of worship under the care of one Consistory. The Elders and Deacons worshipping with each of the four congregations, together with the four Ministers, constitute the Consistory.     The name "Collegiate" was taken by the Church in the early days when the Ministers shared the several pulpits as "colleagues." As colleagues they have presided in turn at the monthly meetings of Consistory. As of February 1992, one of the Ministers is to be elected to a term of two years as President of Consistory. The first so chosen was Dr. Arthur Caliandro. The Collegiate Church operates under a charter granted in 1696 by King William III of England, acting upon a petition for religious freedom presented by the Minister, Elders, and Deacons of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the City of New York (formerly New Amsterdam). This charter was confirmed in 1753 by the Legislature of the colony of New York, and continued in force by the Constitution of the State of New York. It is the oldest corporation in North America. Regular meetings of the Consistory are held on the first Thursday of each month except January, July, August, and September—generally at 3 West 29th Street. In January, the meeting is held on the second Thursday, at which time the annual election of Elders and Deacons is also held.
A Detailed History of the Early Collegiate Church       The Collegiate Church Historical Image Gallery          Key Events in Collegiate Church History              The Succession of Ministers 1628-1998             The Charter Granted by King William III of England    A Directory of the Collegiate Church Staffs in New York          Life in The Collegiate Church Today  Back to the Collegiate Church Home Page

History Ministers Charter Gallery Chronology Life in the Four Collegiate Congregations Today e-mail and Telephone Listings for All Collegiate Locations Return to the Collegiate Home Page West End Collegiate Church westendchurch.org Marble Collegiate Church marblechurch.org Fort Washington Collegiate Church fortwashingtonchurch.org Middle Collegiate Church middlechurch.org

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