Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, The Church-in-the-Gardens was designed by Grosvenor Atterbury, renowned for collaborating with Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. to plan Forest Hills Gardens. Atterbury and John Almay Tompkins designed the church building, dominated by Gothic and Norman influences, with touches of the Romanesque. He also helped hand-select the native field stone that constitute the exterior and interior walls. All metal work inside the church was designed and forged in an on-site workshop set up during construction. The church construction began on August 23, 1914 and was completed on October 10, 1915. Olivia Slocum Sage, widow of railroad magnate Russell Sage, donated funds to build the church. Today, The Church-in-the-Gardens remains a community Congregational Christian church with a diverse membership. Visitors can sit in the pews and experience the peace and beauty of The Church-in-the-Gardens while getting a close-up look at the stained glass and leaded windows.

Birds-eye view of the Forest Hills Gardens development, from the top of the nine-story Forest Hills Inn tower, June 1, 1916. The street at center is Greenway Terrace. The plan of Forest Hills Gardens was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., the son of the famed landscape architect and park designer whose many projects include Central Park and Prospect Park.

Church in the Gardens ca. 1927 Donated by Mrs. Sage, this English-style country church’s mission was to incorporate people from differing religious backgrounds. After polling the congregation, it was decided that Church in the Gardens would be a Congregational church, and its first service was held in 1915. The stone structure with wood frame details features asymmetrical massing with steep gables, overhanging eaves, an imposing square entrance tower and tile roofs. Some of the arched and square window openings include lovely stained glass. In 1926, Atterbury added a Community House to the church’s east end to provide a meeting and recreational space for area residents. Community houses were common fixtures in Queens garden suburbs, including Jackson Heights and Sunnyside Gardens. The stone and stucco building follows the same architectural vocabulary as the church, with half-timbering, steep gables and tile roofs. Turning the corner on Borage Place, walk north to get a view of one of Forest Hills Gardens’ picturesque green spaces, Hawthorne Park. The green is bordered by beautiful sets of adjoining rowhouses along Beechknoll Place to the south and Burns Street to the north. The Church in the Gardens is listed on the State and National Register of Historic Places.

Forest Hills Gardens, Greenway Terrace entrance and bridge, July 24, 1927. Forest Hills Gardens was designed as a planned community for New Yorkers of all social classes — a sort of American response to the English garden communities — but developed into a wealthy enclave, due to the high cost of construction and the use of restrictive covenants that, while they did not explicitly prohibit minority ownership, discouraged working class and minority residents in practice. Architect Grosvenor Atterbury’s neo-Tudor, neo-Georgian, and Arts and Crafts designs are protected by a strict design covenant adopted by the governing Forest Hills Gardens Corporation in 1922, which preserves the development’s distinctive architectural character.

Burns Street, Forest Hills Gardens, August 14, 1935.