OUR PARISH HISTORY

The Union Chapel, our first place of worship, was built in 1859 on the north side of Pudding Lane (now Lattingtown Road) across from the John E. Aldred estate (now St. Josaphat’s Monastery). A New Union Chapel started in 1912 on the present site of St. John’s, under the auspices of St. Paul’s, Glen Cove. The William Guthrie family and the Weir family contributed funds and native stone for the facing of the new building at a total cost of approximately $30,000.

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Differences of opinion surfaced about whether the New Union Chapel would continue as a Union Chapel or be an independent Episcopal parish. Mr. Guthrie preferred a Union Chapel because he considered himself a Roman Catholic, even though his marriage to a divorced woman had resulted in his excommunication from the Roman Catholic Church. St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Glen Cove opposed the idea of the chapel becoming an independent Episcopal parish for fear of losing parishioners and income to the new parish. However, the chapel was incorporated as an independent Episcopal parish in 1915 under the name of St. John’s of Lattingtown with the Rev. Charles E. Hinton as its first full-time rector.

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The New Union Chapel was consecrated by the Rt. Rev. Doctor Frederick Burgess, Episcopal Bishop of Long Island, on June 11, 1916.  The rectory (now called the Parish House and used for the church offices) was added to the structure in 1919. A garage (now known as the Dunlaevy Building) was added in 1920.

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The magnificent wood carvings for the interior of the church were financed by J.P Morgan. They were installed in November 1923, which required closing the building for four months. At the same time, the church was lengthened, adding room for 2 additional pews; the entrance was moved to its present position on the southeast corner; and a limestone floor was installed. When the church reopened in 1924, it sent unneeded furnishings to St. John's Church in Far Rockaway.

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In 1957, the church was expanded to its present size, adding in the side aisles and arches. In order to relocate the stained glass windows, the walls were taken down and the blocks numbered and reassembled under an expanded roof line to resemble the original structure.

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In 2002, the Cloister was dedicated after a five year construction effort committed to preserving the architectural integrity of the church. This project included the construction of the wing containing the Guild room, a modern kitchen and a large classroom in the basement. 

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In 2014, the old failing pipe organ, originally installed in the 1920s, was replaced by a new instrument designed and installed by the Sebastian Gluck Organ Company of New York. The exquisite organ case, also dating from the 1920s, was meticulously preserved and restored, with new lighting.