United Methodist Church of Katonah

Built in 1900 with an aesthetic blend of the Romanesque Revival and the Shingle styles, the United Methodist Church is located in Katonah, NY. Designed by George Kramer, the church was built as a replacement of an older church erected in Old Katonah. United Methodist Church was constructed of locally sourced cobblestone with a slate roof capping four irregularly shaped bays on each façade of the building. The building itself has an octagonal-shaped interior, which is a break of tradition favored by Methodists. The exterior is dressed with gabled bargeboards that are supported by brackets, small windows in arched or rectangular configurations, and a square bell tower with arches at each of the three levels.

Prior to moving to its current location on 5 Bedford Road, the United Methodist Church of Katonah was named the Methodist Episcopal Church and was located on the Whitlockville-to-Cherry Street Road. This 1837 church was founded by two Methodist laymen from Peekskill, Thomas Miller and Abraham Ellis, leading an evangelizing congregation that attracted a following in the local community. The preaching of these two men began a local phenomenon dubbed “The Great Revival”, which on a national level is called "The Second Great Awakening" by American historians. Their sermons attracted two circuit preachers, Alonzo F. Silleck and George L. Fuller, whose outreach led to the conversion of 150 locals to the Methodist denomination.

The church moved from Whitlockville Road to a new building across from Anderson Road. This building was located next to the Katonah Cemetery and was dedicated on January 21^st, 1875. This new church served as their house of worship until 1900 when they moved to their current site. The minister at the time of the move was Thomas LaMonte, whose son, Thomas William LaMonte, drafted and carried out the plans for financial aid to Great Britain and France before the United States entered the World War I; he also served as a member of the American Commission to Negotiate Peace. He drafted the plans while he was employed by J.P. Morgan.

Only 25 years after the move to their new home, the United Methodist congregation was forced to move again due to the construction of the New Croton Dam and Reservoir. The church, along with many of the buildings of Old Katonah, would have a choice between relocating or rebuilding. The church chose to erect a new building on 5 Bedford Road. Their new church organ was installed in February of 1900 and their church bells a month later.

The United Methodist Church of Katonah also had a manse built in the Queen Anne style, however they chose not to move it to the new village. This manse, only about 15 years old at the time of the move, was purchased by a private owner and moved to the new village to where it resides today on 8 Bedford Road.

The village of Katonah saw a post-war population boom after the Second World War and the Korean War. As a result, church attendance grew and in 1956 United Methodist constructed a new parish hall. Today the church remains an integral part of the Katonah community.

[1] Duncombe, Frances. Katonah: The History of a New York Village and Its People. Katonah, NY: The Society, 1961.

[2] Williams, Gray. Picturing Our Past: National Register Sites in Westchester County. Elmsford, NY: Westchester County Historical Society, 2003.

[3] “New York SP Katonah Village Historic District.” National Archives and Records

Administration. National Archives and Records Administration, August 12, 1983.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323077.