FPWA's Building







The headquarters of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies is the historic Church Missions House, a magnificent steel-framed building built in 1894 to house the offices of the Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The architects, Robert Gibson and E.J. Stent, were talented designers with the ability to create successful buildings in many different styles: the Church Missions House is modeled on the Renaissance guild halls of Flemish cities.

FPWA purchased the building in 1963 from the National Council of the Protestant Episcopal Church after the council moved uptown. The building became the first permanent headquarters of FPWA.

Adjacent to the Gramercy Park Historic District, this magnificent and unusual building is both a New York City Landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been termed the first example of steel frame "skyscraper" construction in New York City.

• FPWA Milestones