Building History

"One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple."

~ Jeremiah 33:3

Through the decades, each generation of the faithful have made additions and renovations to the church buildings.

 

  • 1832 - Church building constructed
  • 1834 - Pipe organ, the first in Newtown, was installed
  • 1855 - Wooden bell tower was erected, previously the bell hung on a pole in the south east corner of the property
  • 1860 - Brass pulpit installed
  • 1893 - Parish house built on the east side of the church (left side)
  • 1902 - Altar was given by a Boston parish in memory of their rector, who had been a member of the parish, and was buried in the Newtown Cemetery. 
  • 1904 - Wooden bell tower was replaced by the present brick tower
  • 1905 - Organ replaced with a tracker organ; although the facade pipes remain
  • 1929 - A separate sacristy was added
  • 1929-1933 - The "east" wall or altar wall was restyled
  • 1932 - A beautiful copy of Andrea della Robbia's 1485 masterpiece, The Coronation of the Virgin, was installed as a reredos for our centennial celebration.
  • 1932 - Ceiling and false beams are of hammered tin
  • 1955 - Pulpit replaced
  • 1958 - The present pipe organ was built and installed
  • 1964 - Four properties were purchased for the location of the new parish house
  • 1964 - Old Parish House razed and new parish house constructed
  • 1982 - Three stained glass windows were added
  • 1995 - Major renovation to the church interior which included replacing the flooring system and the pews. St. Luke's used random-width floor boards and installed custom-made pews patterned on the original pews, to retain the style and "feel" of the original interior. 
  • 1995 - Organ was renovated by upgrading its circuitry, and adding a MIDI synthesizer.
  • 2011-2012 - Sacristy Renovation which included two phases - altar guild side, and vestments and choir. This included new cabinetry, and added a wash sink.
  • 2013 - Kitchen renovation in the Parish House
  • 2020 - New stained glass transom installed at the nave's entrance
  • 2021 - Replaced parish house slate roof with standing seam metal roof 
  • 2021 - Added new Audio/Visual equipment including PTZ camera and microphone