Cultural Medallions honoring Lella and Massimo Vignelli and Louise Nevelson

The Rev. Jared R. Stahler, Senior Pastor of Saint Peter’s Church, on the Cultural Medallions honoring Lella and Massimo Vignelli and Louise Nevelson placed by The Historic Landmarks Preservation Center at Saint Peter’s Church on September 24, 2024:

In every generation since this community’s founding more than 150 years ago, Saint Peter’s has been a beacon of hope and resilience in the heart of New York City. From the General Slocum disaster to the devastation of September 11th; at the time of New York City’s near bankruptcy in the 70s; from the AIDS crisis to the Covid-19 pandemic — the Biblical imperative to “seek the well-being of the city and those who call it home,” the idea that we don’t first seek to do for us but to seek to do for our neighbor, has been and remains our guiding light.

For nearly 50 years, this light has emanated from what was once known as Citicorp Center. This creative, first-of-its-kind redevelopment was a collaborative effort between First National City Bank of New York and Saint Peter’s Church. We owned a quarter of the land needed for the project, and through the visionary leadership of the bank and church, along with a dedicated City Planning Commission, we put the public at the center of the Center.

Vast amounts of public space in Bank-owned and Church-owned parts of the condominium brought the liveliness of the neighborhood once outside, inside. Life – in all its parts – flourished here. We owe a great deal to Walter Wriston and Pastor Ralph Peterson, and all the leaders working with them, for this commitment to the public, realized so brilliantly by architects Hugh Stubbins and W. Easley Hamner.

The Church then and the Church today remains committed to the public. In tandem with The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s, we engage in thoughtful, creative and community-based programming that enriches the lives of countless New Yorkers and visitors to the City. Our legendary ministry with the jazz community is just one example of this. If you hear someone play the piano in our Sanctuary, you are hearing Billy Strayhorn’s Steinway Model A. I know this has inspired some of the most extraordinary musicians of our time, like Pianist Aaron Diehl, a dear friend of this place. Imagine the generations yet to come.

When I think of Saint Peter’s commitment to serving beyond our own community, I think of our vibrant Older Adults Center, jointly operated with Lenox Hill Neighborhood House. Also, our growing clinic for migrants, which helps individuals from around the world find their footing in a city that has historically welcomed so many.

In this context, we honor the contributions of Lella and Massimo Vignelli, and Louise Nevelson, who deeply understood and embodied this mission. Indeed, they themselves, were welcomed to and flourished in this city.

The Vignellis designed an interior for Saint Peter’s Sanctuary that serves, in their words, as “more than a church.” Its flexibility allows for everything from orchestral concerts to community meetings. Central Synagogue has held High Holy Day liturgies here. Jazz luminaries are regularly memorialized, most recently WBGO’s Rob Crocker.

It is well known that the Vignellis considered Saint Peter’s their “most important project,” and it is easy to see why: this space touches the lives of so many, including their own. Indeed, they rest here in the columbarium they designed.

Shifting our focus to Louise Nevelson, she created The Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd as “an oasis of silence” amid the bustling city. She envisioned a place where people could step outside their busy lives, even if just for a moment, and carry that peace with them. “If people can come here on their lunch breaks and experience some peace,” she said, “and then take it home with them in their memory banks that will be a great success for me.”

Nearly fifty years later, we recognize Nevelson Chapel as nothing short of a Masterwork. It transcends boundaries, meeting the needs of every person who enters. While it is not composed of found objects that define her work, the Chapel is crafted of forms that echo found objects. Her brilliance in assembling them, and giving them new life, is a mark of resilience. Thinking about how broken our world is, how broken our city, how broken each of us has been at times in our life: Nevelson Chapel meets us in such moments and gives us, transforms us with hope.

Here at Saint Peter’s we needed that hope to continue to “seek the well-being of the city” especially during the challenges of the last few years.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted all our lives. The Saint Peter’s community suffered the loss of ninety-five individuals. Yet, in the face of adversity, we discovered strength and innovation, launching initiatives such as a Mutual Aid Fund that collaborates with various organizations to provide food and essentials distributed weekly in a particularly vulnerable neighborhoods in Queens.

I’m told that nearly every arts organization had a COVID-19 story. Here at Nevelson Chapel, our HVAC system failed, causing damage. Thanks to a dedicated team of conservators and volunteers, we have charted a path forward, implementing scientific testing and research that will benefit not just Nevelson Chapel but conservation efforts for generations to come.

As if the pandemic were not enough for us, on January 4, 2021, a New York City water main broke, flooding the Sanctuary and Lower Level, including our storied Black Box Theatre. Although the physical damage was significant, we chose not to succumb to despair. Instead, we seized this moment as an opportunity for renewal. Informed by 50 years of service to the public, we plan to rebuild the lower level as a Center for Community, Arts, and Culture. With guidance from historic preservationists, we have already restored about 90% of our iconic Sanctuary.

As we honor Lella and Massimo Vignelli, and Louise Nevelson today, I am mindful that we celebrate much more than their contributions to Saint Peter’s. But even if we were to speak only of their contributions in this place, I hope you see that these contributions are to nothing and no one less than the City—all who live here and all who visit here.

In closing, allow me to extend an invitation. The next time you find yourself in this neighborhood, I encourage you to visit. You’ll be able to see the Cultural Medallions, themselves. Take a moment to pause in Nevelson Chapel or attend an event in the Vignelli-designed Sanctuary. In a few years, experience the revitalized theater in the Center for Community, Arts and Culture. And when you do so, as you do so, give thanks for the extraordinary gifts the Vignellis and Nevelson have given us all in this generation and, importantly, generations yet to come.

Jared R. Stahler

Senior Pastor

September 24, 2024