General Theological Seminary

1819 - ?

General Theological Seminary was the first Episcopal seminary in the United States, opening in 1819 in New York City. Soon after, administrators decided to move the school to New Haven but quickly returned to New York. Professor Clement Clarke Moore donated a piece of his land in Chelsea, and the seminary reopened there in 1827. To attend, students needed a college degree or to prove equivalent qualifications. Over time the curricular options grew and students could choose between a variety of masters and doctoral options. General is known for its library, which contains an important collection of Latin and Greek bibles as well as other theological texts and artifacts. In 1961 they did extensive fundraising to build a more modern building on the Ninth Avenue corner of the block. In 1971 the seminary began granting degrees to women.

General Theological Seminary Campus
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Details

Category
Seminary
Instructional Level
Graduate
Audience
Adults
Corporate Body
New York Episcopal Diocese
Tags
Episcopal

Location

  • 175 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011, USA
    ? - ?

Archival Collections

References

  1. Dawley, Powell Mills. The Story of the General Theological Seminary: a Sesquicentennial History, 1817-1967. New York: Oxford University Press, 1969.
  2. Federal Writers’ Project. New York City Guide: A Comprehensive Guide to the Five Boroughs of the Metropolis. New York: Random House, 1939.
  3. General Theological Seminary. Proceedings of the Board of Trustees of the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States. New York: T. and J. Swords, 1838-1893.
  4. “Greatest Bible Library.” Los Angeles Times. March 3, 1912. https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.cul.columbia.edu/docview/159729452/EB38027C270E4FDFPQ/9?accountid=10226.
  5. Hardy Jr., Edward Rochie. “The Organization and Early Years of the General Thological Seminary.” Historical Magazine of the Protestant Episcopal Church 5, no. 3 (1936): 147-76. http://www.jstor.org/stable/42968241.
  6. Parent-Teacher Association, Lincoln School of Teachers College Columbia University. Spend Your Time: New York’s Resources for the use of Leisure. New York City: Bureau of Publications of Teachers College, 1933.