Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral ARCHITECT: John Bergesen DATE: 1901-02 STYLE: Church The St. Nicholas congregation, which was established in 1894, met in a rented house at 323 Second Avenue until a permanent building could be erected. The purchase of the 75-by-100-foot lot, on which the present church buildings stand, was undertaken by Dean Alexander Hotovitsky on behalf of the congregation in September 1899. The lot was smaller than what had initially been sought, and it was not a corner site, but the high cost of real estate in New York limited the selection. The New York City congregation was unable to fully finance the building, so the Synod of Russia was given Imperial permission to collect money throughout the Russian Empire.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral, ca. 1970. The congregation of St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church was founded in 1894. When fundraising for a church building was undertaken in 1900 the Synod of Russian was given permission to ask for donations within the Russian Empire. One of the earliest gifts from this effort was from Czar Nicholas II himself. The Baroque style design of the church, inspired by Moscow cathedrals, was created by John Bergesen, a New York architect of Russian descent. The church, topped with its eye-catching onion domed cupolas, was dedicated in November of 1902. The church was elevated to cathedral status in 1903 and in 1905 the Diocesan seat was moved from San Fransisco to here.