Church of the Ascension

At Fifth Avenue and West 10th Street sits the Episcopalian Church of the Ascension. Inside, an imposing mural, ranked one of the greatest by an American artist, rises above the humble altar: Christ is in the sky, surrounded by angels, while his disciples look up from below.

The work, commissioned by the vestry, was by famous painter and stained-glass artist, John LaFarge. His works can also be found in other churches in the city, such as the Cathedral of St. John of the Divine in Morningside Heights and the Church of the Incarnation on Madison Avenue.

In the late 1800s, the heavy lead paint of the mural caused it to fall, leading to accusations that LaFarge had not properly designed the scaffolding for the painting. After his death in 1910, sightings of LaFarge's ghost were reported at the church and in the "10th Street Studio building," which used to be an artists' apartment and studio house around the corner of the church. The Neo-Greco building, at 45 West 10th St., had been modeled after a similar building in Paris.

While it was still standing, several tenants reported encounters with the ghosts of LaFarge and a woman, who were seen rummaging through people's drawers. They would dissolve into thin air when challenged. It is believed that the ghosts were searching for LaFarge's original plans for the scaffolding in order to clear his name. However, the doormen at the Peter Warren apartment house, which now stands in the studio's place, say there have been no reports of any sightings since the building was built.

John Meekins, a member of the church since 1955, confirms he had not heard anything about the ghost at all. The 74-year-old church warden, who retired in January, had also been a vestry member and head of the church's fine arts committee.

Over at the church, maintenance workers, Theres Alliancin and Jean Odene, also report no unusual occurrences in the last 30 and five years, respectively that they have served there.

"We used to hear about the ghost, but we never saw it," said Odene. "It doesn't scare us, we come from Haiti," he said with a chuckle.

The Church of the Ascension, designed by Richard Upjohn, was built in 1840-41.

LaFarge also created the four stained-glass windows in the church's nave (not in picture.)

The Peter Warren apartment house, built in 1957, now sits on the site of the "10th Street Studio Building," which housed many Hudson River School artists in its 25 studios..

The church's stained-glass windows are by famous artists such as LaFarge, D. Maitland Armstrong, J.Alden Weir and Louis Comfort Tiffany.