Nestled among the skyscrapers near the water's edge is a federal style row house built for James Watson, a wealthy merchant, in 1794. It now serves as the rectory for the church next to it, the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, built in the 1960's in complementary style. The church houses the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, who was the first American to be canonized and who once lived in the house that Watson built.
The Watson House is the last remaining example of the typical row house that lined the streets of the area in the early 1800's. The house was designed by John McComb, whose impressive list of buildings includes City Hall and Gracie Mansion. The location was perfect for the merchant to keep an eye on the harbor where the safe arrival of ships was crucial to his livelihood.
By the 1880's the city was expanding at a rapid rate. Large numbers of immigrants were entering the city only a block away at Clinton Castle, the immigrant processing facility for New York. Charlotte Grace O'Brien, an Irish writer and activist, arranged to have the house turned over to Our Lady of the Rosary to serve as a home for Irish immigrant girls. She wrote prodigiously about the terrible conditions that the young women faced when they arrived in America and succeeded in awakening consciousness and creating a safe haven for the women. Although Charlotte O'Brien was born into a wealthy Protestant family, she converted to Catholicism out of sympathy with the Irish peasants.
The
first American saint, whose shrine is in the Church, was also a convert to Catholicism. Elizabeth Bailey was born in New York City in 1774 and married William Seton. After his death she converted to Catholicism. She, her children and her sisters-in-law, who also converted, moved to Maryland where they started The Sisters of Charity and founded the American parochial school system.These two enduring buildings stand at the harbor as a shining beacon dedicated to the humanitarianism that was the hallmark of these two extraordinary women. Through their personal changes they brought about social changes.
The church and the shrine are open to the public, but it is not possible to tour the Watson House.
Posts
