Dean Morton is featured prominently in the story of the most recent construction period at the Cathedral Church St. John the Divine (1978-1996). It begins with this amazing man. Construction stopped in 1941, just days after Pearl Harbor. Work was not commenced after the war due to the Episcopal Diocese conviction that funds could be better placed. As a result, programs to alleviate the poverty of its upper Manhattan neighborhood were invested in.
The Rt. Rev Paul Moore Jr. became the Episcopal Bishop of New York in 1972. He quickly appointed James Parks Morton the new dean of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. For the next 25 years, Dean Morton would preside over one of New York’s most significant gathering places.
Almost immediately, Dean Morton indicated that work would resume on the building. There would be no bidding or contracts with general contractors. This program would be old school. As a result, this will be the story of recruiting a Master Builder who would establish an apprentice program. Most noteworthy, these apprentices would be individuals from the local community, therefore providing jobs and valuable skill training.
They would come from the youth of Morningside Heights, Harlem and Newark and be trained in the ancient art of stonecutting. Much in the manner that cathedrals were built in the Middle Ages. Although modern saws and derricks would be employed, it would be a community product. Above all, building a symbolic center for that community. We will meet many people and much stone as this story unfolds, but a common thread in this period will be Dean Morton.
