St. James’ Church is among the oldest and most recognizable buildings on the Upper East side of Manhattan. The original church was completed in 1884 and renovated in 1923. It is part of the upper East Side Historic District. The most recent renovation included the removal of the wood framed church floor that was replaced with a new steel and concrete structure finished with stone and mosaic marble tile. The 120 year old pews were refurbished and some of the churches Tiffany stained glass was relocated to more prominent locations. In the basement the East Hall and Donegan Hall were redesigned and reconfigured to meet the churches needs as classrooms, religious functions and community outreach. A new glass atrium was added between the church and the also renovated Parish house for additional space. The Parish renovation included the addition of an elevator and new grand entry stair case. The exterior work included a new slate roof and new bells were added to the existing bell tower. The lower section of the bell tower was transformed into a columbarium with stone niches.