Middle Dutch Church, New York City

The old Middle Dutch Church was founded in 1727 as the New Dutch Church, located on the east side of Nassau Street, with the main entrances. The temple was dedicated in 1729 and it was completed in 1731. The tower faced Crown Street (now Liberty Street). The building was 100 feet long and 75 feet wide. The ministers were Rev. Walter Du Bois and Henry Boel.

Its origins go back to the Dutch Reformed Church at the time of the Dutch rule of New Amsterdam (now New York), in the first half of 17th century. The New Dutch Church was an expansion of the Garden Street Church, which then became known as the "Old Dutch Church".

The original temple had a brick steeple facing Crown Street (Liberty Street after 1793), with room for a consistory above the entry. The windows were small panes of glass set in lead. The most of them had coats of arms of those who had been elders and magistrates, burnt on glass by Gerard Duyckinck, a Dutch descent artist, born in 1695 in New York City. Some painted coats of arms were also hung against the walls.

In the beginning, the preaching in the New Dutch Church was entirely in the Dutch language. In 1764, the Middle Church was home of the first sermon preached in English in the Dutch Church of New York. The preacher was Archibald Laidlie (1727-1779), a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, who had just been installed as a Collegiate minister.

The temple was altered in the same year of 1764.

After the construction of the North Dutch Church in 1767-1769, the New Dutch Church became known as the Middle Dutch Church because it was situated between the old Dutch Church, on Exchange Place, and the North Dutch Church at William and Fulton streets.

After British troops invaded the City of New York in 1776, during the Independence War, the temple was occupied and desecrated. It was used as prison and later as a riding-school for British officers and soldiers. They left in 1783, with the entire interior destroyed.

In the early 19th century, commercial activities gradually expelled the inhabitants from the lower part of the city. Thus, the Consistory decided that it was no longer convenient to continue divine service in this Church. The last service was held on August 11, 1844.

In the same month, the Postmaster General completed arrangements for the occupation of the old temple for a post-office. It was leased for seven years and altered for that purpose in the same year. The new Post Office at Nassau Street opened in this premises by February 1845. The U.S. government bought the property in October 1860 (the deed was recorded in 1866). The old temple was demolished by 1882.