Only In New York

Bobst Library

Last week a fever kept me from joining my journalism class on their guided tour of Fales Library – the haven for 200,000 rare volumes of fiction, original punk rock ‘zines, and special exhibitions on New York history located on the 3^rd floor of Elmer Holmes Bobst library. Listening to a fellow classmates recording of the tour, I knew it would be a challenge to recreate the intellectual depth offered by their tour guide Marvin Taylor, the Fales Library’s director. But, kismet kept things interesting. 

During my culture wars class the following Monday, I watched a female pastor and a former obstetrics nurse debate about abortion.  This was my first encounter with a pro-choice religious woman. I wondered where this abortion-friendly church was – the one she claimed was one of the first to offer abortion counseling in America. I had missed Professor Zimmerman’s mumbles when he named the “legendary church.” Still, I thought to myself, “Cool place. Definitely in New York.”



Judson Memorial Church front



Damn right, it was aptly located directly across the street from the newly-inaugurated Fales Library exhibition I would tour the next day. “A Sanctuary for the Arts: Judson Memorial Church and the Avant-Garde 1954-1977” combined art, pictures, newspaper clips, theater posters and documentary footage all dedicated to the church’s unbelievable story. However, being alone in the gray corridors of a library can have its depressing moments, especially in this particular library, but when I came across a yellowed clip from an old Village Voice describing the church’s Clergy Consultation Service on Abortion, it clicked.

Yes, it was that legendary. Here’s why. In its time, the church became a haven for the folk crowd - opening its doors to folk demonstrators banned from singing in Washington Square Park. In addition, it had provided a community center for the city’s youth, support for civil rights activists, a groundbreaking narcotic treatment center, and most conspicuously, a stage for the avant-garde theatre, dance, and poetry scene – all this before the city entered the ‘70s.

See the proof for yourself before the exhibition ends on January 7, 2011. Located on the third floor of Bobst Library at 70 Washington Square South, “A Sanctuary for the Arts: Judson Memorial Church and the Avant-Garde 1954-1977” is open Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. and Friday 9:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.