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The Cathedral of New York's Catholic Archdiocese and seat of its Cardinal,
in its early years this elaborate building served, among others, the
working class, immigrant Catholic staff who were employed by the city's
Episcopalian elite.
The Cathedral's Gothic Revival design is based on French models. Somewhat
generic in its form, it lacks the quaint flavor of Grace and Trinity
Churches and the mysterious grandeur of St. John the Divine. A Lady
Chapel, added
to the Madison Avenue side of the Cathedral in 1906, is more impressive
than the rest of the edifice.
When construction began, the Cathedral was located on the outskirts of
town in an area of slaughter houses and cattle yards. As construction
progressed, the city advanced northwards to the area around St. Patrick's.
Nevertheless, the site remained somewhat 'tainted' in the minds of
19th century New Yorkers.
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