Presented by The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s in partnership with Open House NY and Docomomo US’s tour day. 

Open House New York Weekend is an annual festival that unlocks 300 destinations across the five boroughs for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities. As a part of the 2025 festival, you are invited to explore Saint Peter's Church.

Nearing 50 years since opening, the Saint Peter’s building continues to be an immensely public building with art, cultural, and community programming on a daily basis. As New York City's youngest landmark and soon to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places, Saint Peter's Church is an iconic part of the Citigroup Center in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. The late modernist corporate-church complex, by Hugh Stubbins and Easley Hamner (architects) and Lella and Massimo Vignelli (interiors), helped navigate the course of the City's path away from bankruptcy in the 1970s. Also inside is Nevelson Chapel, a sculptural environment by one of New York City's most celebrated artists, Louise Nevelson. 

The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s, who offers programming and activates the spaces of Saint Peter's with jazz and classical concerts, rotating art exhibitions, and rich cultural programming, welcomes guests who have never visited or haven’t visited in a while. Following comprehensive restoration projects to the Vignelli designed Sanctuary after a city water main break flooded the Sanctuary and lowest level of the building and conservation efforts in Nevelson Chapel to preserve this sculptural environment for generations to come, guests will be able to see the distinct legacy of these spaces. 

Visitors can explore the space using our online guide or speaking with docents stationed throughout the building. Every level of this building has areas to explore that show the rich history, a commitment to New York City, and promise for the future. 

Presented by the Center for Architecture with The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s. 

Louise Nevelson's Chapel of the Good Shepherd is a unique, comprehensive sculptural environment at Saint Peter's Church. Nevelson was instrumental in the conception and introduction of the form, which “sought to break down the historical dichotomy between life and art.” Following years of restoration and necessary improvements to the environment, hear how Nevelson Chapel, a beloved New York City treasure, will be cared for now and for future generations.‍

We’re pleased to be working with the Historical Landmarks Preservation Center to honor and mark Saint Peter’s as a significant location for Louise Nevelson and Lella and Massimo Vignelli.

Nevelson Chapel at Saint Peter’s is the only remaining, permanent, fully intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson.

Regarded by many as one of the finest examples of late modernism, the interior of Saint Peter’s is the work of designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli.

The Cultural Medallions Program was initiated to create a sense of pride in history and of place among New Yorkers and visitors, to document significant individuals, and notable occurrences related to the economic, political, and social history of New York City. The plaques that will be placed on the building was designed pro bono by Massimo Vignelli.

For the full program and RSVP, please see here.

Join us in celebrating Louise Nevelson’s 125th birthday!

Around the world, galleries, universities, and cultural institutions are celebrating the milestone birthday of one of the 20th century’s most prolific artists.

At Saint Peter’s Church, we celebrate this birthday at Nevelson Chapel, the only remaining, permanent, fully-intact sculptural environment by Louise Nevelson. Comprising nine substantial white and gold-leaf sculptural elements installed onsite by Nevelson herself, this “oasis of silence” is more than a quiet place for reflection— it is harmoniously contained yet uncontainable, profoundly and marvelously human.

Just outside the doors of this sculptural masterpiece, toast to Nevelson’s enduring legacy, don Louise’s unique fashions, and tap into the creativity that only the lady of honor could match. Come and enjoy refreshments, live music, and brief remarks.

Born September 23, 1899 in Ukraine, Louise Nevelson created monochrome sculptural masterpieces, often from found objects. In 1977, Nevelson created a unique sculptural environment at the heart of Citicorp Center and Saint Peter’s Church, which she titled Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Today, as historians of art and architecture are recognizing the gradual loss of our city’s human-scale spaces to an urbanism focused on security and pressured by commercialism, Nevelson’s legacy offers respite and inspiration.

In addition to her vital artistic contribution, Nevelson was known for her unique fashion: her head wrapped in scarves, layered clothing inspired from around the world, and multiple layers of eyelashes. The same year Nevelson Chapel was completed, Nevelson was added to Eleanor Lambert’s “Best Dressed International Women” list. On her birthday, we remember her vivacious personality in addition to her artistic vision as we celebrate Nevelson steps away from her “monument to the soul.”

This event is hosted by the Nevelson Legacy Council, The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peter’s and Saint Peter’s Church. After a successful Renewing a Masterwork campaign to fund urgent conservation work and upgrade the HVAC system, a For the Future campaign is underway to secure an endowment for annual conservation and an endowment for programming. Learn more at future.saintpeters.org/nevelson.

Presented by Nevelson Chapel 
and New York Culture Club
in partnership with Midtown Arts Common

Curated by Jenny Mushkin Goldman

The pandemic, compounded by the Russian attack on Ukraine, has caused a collective confrontation with mortality and loss unlike anything in recent history.

This group exhibition addresses the entirety of the life cycle and delves into the promise of the everlasting. Individual works deal with themes of death, regeneration, and the hereafter. The pieces are placed in such a way as to invite a creative experience of these perennial themes beyond customary linear or circular approaches.

Artists

Chellis Baird, Nelsena Burt-Spano, Alexis Duque, S. Klitgaard, Katarra LaRae Peterson, Gracelee Lawrence, April Marten, Ariel Mitchell, Anne-Sophie H. Plume, Lina Puerta, Leonard Reibstein, Adam Umbach, and Paul Joseph Vogeler

Gallery Open hours

10-12 noon Monday to Friday,  
4 to 6 Sunday to Tuesday

Enter on 54th Street for COVID screening.

About NYC Culture Club: www.nyccultureclub.com