Sacred Sites Open House taking place on May 18

The New York Landmarks Conservancy is once again sponsoring a statewide Sacred Sites Open House on Sunday, May 18, 2025. This local event is hosted by the Sacred Sites Committee of the Preservation Association of the Southern Tier (PAST). 

This year marks the 13th anniversary of hosting this local event. It is free and open to the public. 

Sacred Sites in Binghamton, Johnson City, Endicott, Endwell, Port Dickinson, Hillcrest, and Chenango Bridge will be welcoming visitors at varied times from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Check below for specific opening and closing times of each site.)  

The theme this year is “Building for Eternity: Religious Architecture and Artisans.”

There will be 22 participants. This is an opportunity to be a tourist in your own neighborhood and view the spectacular interiors of varied religious structures in our community. 

The sites are grouped in clusters along specific streets, neighborhoods, or downtown areas. In this way, visitors can select groups of sites to visit that may be within walking distance of each other. 

Sites will welcome visitors, give tours, explain architecture and art, stained glass windows, and tell the history of their buildings and congregations. Several sites also inform visitors about social and community activities that take place at the site outside of the religious services.   

For a list of participants and their times in this year’s Sacred Sites Open House on Sunday, May 18, 2025, visit the PAST website at www.pastny.org or obtain lists at most religious sites, local libraries, historical societies, community calendars, social media, and www.nylandmarks.org  

PAST and the Sacred Sites Committee would like to invite everyone to this event and ask for your support of this program by visiting these spectacular architectural structures located right in our neighborhoods. The following are details of the stops along the tour. 

Binghamton – South Side, Downtown, North Side, Port Dickinson, Hillcrest, Chenango Bridge

1 – Islamic Awareness Center, 74 Conklin Ave., open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Used as a house of worship since 1871. Designed and built by architect Henry M. Congdon, with a double staircase leading to the main entrance.  Roof features multiple gables with a tower at the rear of the building. Formerly the Church of the Good Shepherd, it was purchased by the present congregation in 2010 and redesigned as a mosque with a prayer niche facing northeast toward Mecca. This became the cultural and architectural focal point of this sacred site.

2 – Saint Francis of Assisi Church, 1031 Chenango St., Hillcrest, open from noon to 2 p.m. The present church was built in contemporary style and designed by architect/ builder Raymond W. Jewell in 1953. It opened as a new parish on Easter Sunday 2009. The beautification of the worship space in 2022 enhanced the architectural features, including a unique carving of a pelican feeding its young, an early Christian symbol, under the tabernacle. The stained glass windows, which depict the life of Christ and the seven sacraments, line the nave of the church. 

3 -Community Baptist Church of Port Dickinson, 743 Chenango St., open from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The spectacular stained glass windows were crafted by Walter Diener and Sons, Binghamton. Walter Whitlock and George Cummings were the architects. The baptistry contains a three-wall mural painted by Muriel Simpson. The original Moller organ pipes are still used today. Additional new ranks were added for broad versatility and beautiful tonality, making it one of the finest in the Triple Cities. A sanctuary tour and second-floor historical display are available.

4 – Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church (NEW),  731 River Rd., Chenango Bridge, open from noon to 2 p.m. Dedicated in 1955, the contemporary house of worship has stained-glass windows above a double-door entry. Much of the construction was done by members, including stained-glass scenes of the Liturgical Year on both sides of the nave. A carved wooden altar in the sanctuary is symbolic of the text of Mark, Ch. 4,  verse 48 where Christ is asleep in a boat and his fearful disciples cry out.

5 – Centenary-Chenango St. United Methodist Church, 438 Chenango St., open from noon to 2 p.m. The 109 year-old edifice is a landmark on the North Side of Binghamton. The stained glass windows are from the Haskins Studios in Rochester, N.Y., and are original to the building. A large two-story arched stained-glass window is centered on the facade. The interior has been maintained in its original appearance, retaining a high degree of architectural integrity. 

6 – Christ Episcopal Church (NEW), 10 Henry St., open from noon to 3 p.m. Architect Richard Upjohn designed the plans for this bluestone Gothic-style church in 1853. The spire was added in 1903. The oldest congregation in Binghamton, Joshua Whitney, William Bingham’s land agent, was a member. An elegant interior follows a traditional design of an Episcopal Church. Paintings on the ceiling of the sanctuary include the early Christian symbol of a pelican feeding its young. A marker on Binghamton’s Freedom Trail references the Underground Railroad.

7 – The Landmark Church, 126 Court St., open 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Built in 1866 in the Gothic style, constructed of Syracuse limestone and brick, the church was designed by architect Isaac G. Perry and is part of the Court Street Historic District. Architectural details include carved wood friezes, a heartwood cherry ceiling, and stained glass cathedral art memorial windows from Munich, Germany. Tower was removed in the 1930’s. Site of the historic 1913 women’s suffrage convention.  

Binghamton – Clinton Street Area

8 – Trinity AME Zion Church (NEW), 203 Oak St., 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The church has a large, slightly projected tower with an open arched belfry containing the original bell. The entry has a stained glass transom inscribed with the church’s name. Left of the entry is a triple stained glass window of the Good Shepherd. The original church at 35 Sherman Place was a house of worship and a safe place for runaways along the Underground Railroad. It is depicted in a mural at Columbus Park. Tours and light refreshments will be served.

9 – Saint Michael’s Orthodox Church, 280 Clinton St., open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. “It has been said that icons are literally windows into heaven. Come and behold the glory of our Lord and His Saints through the magnificent icons of St. Michael’s Orthodox Church.” ( Fr. Dutko.) An atrium containing 18 stained-glass windows connects the church to the recreation center.

10 – Holy Spirit Byzantine Eastern Rite Catholic Church, 360 Clinton St., open from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Byzantine and Romanesque styles with a double-columned porch supporting a lintel with inlaid mosaic decoration. Gold leaf domes support a three-barred cross. Interior with marble and an inlaid mosaic iconostasis (icon screen). Canopy over the altar (Baldachino), depicted in Tiffany glass descent of the Holy Spirit.

11- Dormition of the Virgin Mary Orthodox Church, 54 Baxter St., open from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Three gold-toned domes dominate the front facade of the church. Locally known as St. Mary’s Church, the first service was held in 1916.  The congregation was established by immigrants from Galicia in Eastern Europe. Interior contains a unique iconostasis, and the vestibule is dominated by a spectacular mural of the Virgin Mary, the namesake of the church.

Binghamton – West Side and Riverside Drive Area

12 – Saint Patrick’s Church, 11 Leroy St., open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Isaac Perry, the architect, completed it in 1873. It is in the Gothic Revival style. Stained glass windows were crafted by Franz Mayer and Co., Munich, Germany. Celtic cast stone cross is located on the east front lawn of the church. Presentation on the history of the church at 11:30.

13 – Temple Concord Synagogue, 9 Riverside Dr., open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Constructed in 1964, the contemporary-style, one-floor synagogue is made of tan shades of brick and glass. The focus of the pointed front of the edifice is a stained glass window with a metal menorah. The Jonas M. Kilmer mansion’s porte cochere (covered vehicle passageway) connects to the Jonas M. Kilmer mansion and synagogue. Kilmer’s  Binghamton’s patent medicine included the famed cure-all called Swamp Root. Tours of the synagogue.

14 – Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Binghamton, 183 Riverside Dr., open from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Present building was constructed in 1958 by architect and builder Charles Saldun in a contemporary design.  Building consists of two distinct sections: a tall parabolic sanctuary attached to a one-story L consisting of offices and meeting rooms. View the major renovations from 2019-2020 by architect Laura Lee Intscher and contractor W.L. KIine.  A historic marker on the CourtHouse Square indicates the Universalist First Society formed in 1838. Church was erected on this square facing Exchange Street in 1846. There will be a video with music during the tour.

Binghamton-West Side and Main Street

15 – First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, 30 Main St., open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Designed by Isaac Perry, built in 1869, enlarged in 1884. Historic marker identifies the site as Peterson’s Tavern, where Binghamton was incorporated in 1834. The remains of the tavern wall are still visible in the basement. The dominant front gable and side towers open to the sanctuary, featuring fluted wooden columns and arches that support the clerestory. The original bell was placed in front in 1976 for the bicentennial.

16 – Redeemer Lutheran Church, 72 Main St., open from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Built in 1911 and designed by architect Walter H. Whitlock, the white masonry building is embedded with a red cross facing Chapin Street. Congregation organized the first Lutheran Church in Binghamton. The church contains a mechanical action organ built by James Louder Inc. of Montreal, Canada. There will be music, displays, and tours.

17 – Salvation Temple Church, 80 Main St., open from 3 to 4 p.m. Dedicated in 1899 and constructed of Ohio sandstone, it was designed by architect Sanford O. Lacey in Romanesque style and is known for its large fan-shaped windows. A raised main entrance and covered porch framed by a large arched opening lead to the seating area and gallery. 

Johnson City

18 – Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church, 308 Main St., open from 2 to 4 p.m. Named for George F. Johnson’s mother, the church was built of Hummelstown, Pennsylvania, brownstone. The church tower is 112-feet high with carillon bells. A unique, intact gym floor made of leather intended for shoes from the Endicott Johnson Shoe Factory is still visible. The church is a landmark and can be seen from all directions.

19 – Sacred Heart Ukrainian Catholic Church, 230 Ukrainian Hill Rd., open from 2 to 4 p.m. Its unique style is Folk Architecture of wooden churches in the Carpathian Mountains of Ukraine. The Denysenko family, father and son, wrote the icons and built the iconostasis. Rem Bohutyn was the artist of the copper side altars and stations of the cross. The interior of the church consists of three basic elements: a central square nave, a polygonal sanctuary, and a narthex with a choir loft.

20 – Saint John the Baptist Ukrainian Orthodox Church, One St. John Parkway, open from noon to 2 p.m. Byzantine style with three gilded cupolas. At the front entry is a mosaic of St. John the Baptist and a monument to the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine. Mosaics and large stained glass windows surround the spacious interior. A highly decorated iconostasis separates the sanctuary from the nave.

Endwell and Endicott 

21 – Endwell United Methodist Church, 3301 Watson Blvd., open from noon to 4 p.m. Founded in 1921 at the location where the old Hooper School was later built, it became the First Methodist Episcopal Church of Endwell. The present contemporary building of brick has had several additions, including a 100-foot steeple installed in 1983. Fifteen years ago, the sanctuary was redone. Photos of the old church and renovations will be on display along with presentations and tours.

22 – Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church, 1907 Jenkins St., open from 1-5 p.m. As Philip said to Nathaniel, “Come and see!” Visit them and see the beauty of the parish and experience the hospitality of the people. Over the front walkway is a triple arch containing the original bells. Once inside, receive the timeless marvel of Orthodoxy, the oldest form of Christianity. Scriptural verses in English and Slovnik decorate the interior of the church along with an iconostasis and murals.