In my previous post, I talked about the history of the Citi Group Building and Saint Peter´s Church. In total, three churches have been built in the same location. The first one was built in 1882 and the last in 1977. I will concentrate this post on the last Church and its interior designer, the Italian Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014). The church was designed by Hugh Stubbins & Associates, the same people that were building the Citicorp tower in the seventies (you can read more about this tower and its history in one of my previous posts).
Vignelli was a graphic and industrial designer, one of the most renowned and important in his field. He founded Vignelli Associates in 1971. He created numerous and recognizable logos for companies here in the US. In his portfolio: the Stendig Calendar, Knoll, IBM, Benetton, Ducati, American Airlines, Ford, Lancia… but the crown jewel is the NYC subway signage. Before him, the subway was a mess, the result of the three different companies that operated the Subway in the city, later converted into the actual MTA. Apart from this impressive graphic design work, he was responsible for the interior design of Saint Peters Church. He singular and clever design, the church and the tower become a protected Landmark in 2016. Unfortunately, in January 2021, one of the main lines of water in NYC broke in the intersection with Lexington Avenue. A giant flood damaged the interior of the church, and it has destroyed all the cellar facilities, equipment, HVAC, including a theater company and the new Sacristy that was in construction, 95% completed and designed by MQ Architecture. The organ built by the German company Johannes Klais of Bonn was damaged as well and it is being restored right now. Hopefully, this important Landmark in NYC is restored to its full beauty in the upcoming months and years.
