In 1918, the parish moved to a new building on Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. Serious structural problems had developed in the Madison Avenue building, and Bertram Goodhue was commissioned to design a new church. It was built in the Romanesque style, largely to provide a harmonious setting for the Stanford White portal, which was moved from the old building. As funds and materials were available, the interior was decorated in the Byzantine style, with major mosaics in the narthex and over the high altar.
In the 1920s, as the neighborhood changed, immigration slowed and tenements gave way to apartment houses and offices, the parish house and clinic on 42nd Street were closed. The present community house, adjoining the church at 50th street, was built during the tenure of Robert Norwood as rector (1925–32). A poet and prophet, Norwood was a dynamic preacher who brought large crowds to the church week after week. His interest in ministering to the growing number of young professionals flocking to the city led to founding the Community Club.
Well into the 1960s, St. Bart’s was one of the three or four largest congregations in the Episcopal Church. As its immediate neighborhood changed from primarily residential to corporate and commercial, the parish ministry increasingly reached out to the community and non-members. The music ministry included more public concerts, and St. Bartholomew’s took the lead in midtown in beginning a substantial ministry to the poor.
