The distinctive entrance of the National Historic Landmark, St. Bartholomew's Church on Park Avenue, is the monumental Triple Portal designed by legendary Gilded Age architect Stanford White as a memorial to Cornelius Vanderbilt II. Its stunning bas-relief bronze doors and carved stone iconographic sculptures were created in 1903 by some of the most distinguished artists of the era.

A Masterpiece Hiding in Plain Sight, a film by St. Bartholomew's Conservancy, provides the context, inspiration, and fascinating history of this architectural and artistic treasure. It introduces the 120+ year-old Triple Portal, its status as an irreplaceable work of art, and why, after decades of weathering and exposure to pollution, it warrants skillful conservation to prevent further damage to significant features. Thousands of New Yorkers and visitors walk by it every day.  But do they really see it in the midst of busy days and lives?

PRESENTERS

PAUL GOLDBERGER "It was a magnificent architectural coup, you could say, an imposing, not to say ornate, entrance that conferred on Renwick’s old church a whole new level of monumentality. Mrs. Vanderbilt was delighted. She wrote to Stanford White that she was sure that it must be the opinion of everyone who sees the completed work that it is very beautiful and appropriate and that it will mark an era in American Art."		SAMUEL G. WHITE "He could take elements from different cultures and different periods and combine them in a way that they normally would not have been combined. And so, you have this extraordinary renaissance motif. I mean, this is something that Raphael would recognize instantly. And then you have this incredible combination of Greek and Roman elements sitting on top of that delicious red marble. There isn't really anything like it in New York."
THAYER TOLLES "People are more aware of the presence, the significance, and the symbolism of public sculpture. The same goes for magnificent public buildings in New York. From the New York Public Library, to the Metropolitan Museum, to St. Bartholomew's. These are all buildings that are used. People are coming in and out of them, but they're actually coming in and out of works of art, very consciously conceived works of art."		WALTER SEDOVIC "Goodhue, in a way that he is famous for, was able to blend right into the portal. He himself felt that the portal was a masterpiece. Not only on Park Avenue, but within the city, within the nation and beyond. And he was right. His church is a masterpiece as well. "