"The building is a frame structure above an ample basement of brick and stone, and its dimensions are forty-four feet front by seventy-four feet deep, and has an elevation of forty feet with a small belfry. The exterior is painted white with grained walnut trimmings, and presents a picturesque and neat appearance. The cost of the church complete was $15,000, of which sum more than two-thirds has been paid by voluntary subscriptions."

Original Church on Evergreen Avenue after it was sold to an undertaker (1922)

On August 30, 1868, the cornerstone was laid, and the completed edifice was dedicated on June 26, 1869. At the same time, the Rev. G.A. Schmidt, of Meriden, Conn., was installed as the first permanent pastor. A day school was of great importance to the society, and soon they had erected a school building at a cost of $2,250. Pastor Schmidt stayed but twenty months and was succeeded by the Rev. August Emil Frey, of Hudson, N.Y., who was pastor until his death in 1905.

By the 1880s the Bushwick neighborhood was bustling with German beer breweries and an influx of German immigrants. St. Mark's church building could not accomodate the increasing number of worshippers, and the thriving day school had outgrown its building. The society purchased a large piece of property on Bushwick Avenue that included the corners of Jefferson and Troutman Streets. On the Jefferson Street corner a new school was secured by remodeling an old house and adding an extension. This school was dedicated on October 4, 1885.

Four years later, in 1889, the school was again too small and it was decided to build a new school, church and rectory on the Bushwick Avenue property. As designed by Theodore Englehardt, the church and school would have a continuous street frontage of 120 feet along Bushwick Avenue, and the rectory would rise behind the church along Jefferson Street. All three buildings were in the Victorian Gothic style and constructed of Philadelphia brick, Nova Scotia sandstone, granite and terra cotta. The school was completed as soon as possible and on Sunday, October 19, 1890, it was dedicated. Built on an 80’ by 40’ lot adjoining the church, the front portion of the schoolhouse was two stories high and would be used by the church societies, the board of trustees, and the janitor, while the rear portion was three stories high with four classrooms on each floor. A playground and cellar were available for recreation.

Sources:      "Church News," The Lutheran Witness (Apr. 2, 1918).      Haberstroh, Richard. The German Churches of Metropolitan New York: A Research Guide. New York: The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society, 2000.      Nelson, George. Organs in the United States and Canada Database. Seattle, Wash.      "New St. Mark's. Ceremonies at the Dedication of the Church," Brooklyn Eagle (May 23, 1892).      "New St. Mark's. The Cornerstone of the Church Laid Yesterday," Brooklyn Eagle (Apr. 13, 1891).      "Organ Recital and Concert," Brooklyn Eagle (Jun. 8, 1892).      Rogers, Jenny. "Historic Preservation Raises Questions in Brooklyn Neighborhood." jennyrogers07.wordpress.com. (Dec. 5, 2011).      Stiles, Henry Reed. History of the City of Brooklyn: Including the Old Town and Village of Brooklyn, the Town of Bushwick, and the Village and City of Williamsburgh. Vol. III. Brooklyn: pub. by subscription, 1870.      Tower Bells web site: http://www.towerbells.org/data/NYBRKLSM.HTM Illustrations:      Kiernan, Matthew X. Exterior (2012). © Matthew X. Kiernan/New York Big Apple Images. Used by permission.      Rogers, Jenny. Interior showing organ case and flags.      Schmauch, Dave. Chimes and Chimestand; Interior; Midmer-Losh Organ (2012).

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