St. Martin’s Church was erected in 1886, the architect being William A. Potter. It was then Holy Trinity Church, home to an affluent congregation. In April of 1925, fire destroyed Holy Trinity, only the four walls surviving. The congregation decided to move to Inwood, and the Lenox Avenue property was deeded to the Diocese of New York. St. Martin’s was organized as a mission in 1928 and the first services were held in the Little Theater in February. Under the sponsorship of the City Mission Society and with the support of Bishop William T. Manning, St. Martin’s grew rapidly in the 1930s. It was active in the community, concentrating on the elimination of racial discriminatory practices by Harlem stores on West 125th Street. A federal credit union was established in 1937. Disaster struck in January of 1939 when the church was again ravaged by fire. Under the leadership of Dr., John H. Johnson, St. Martin’s was rebuilt once more. It was incorporated in March of 1940 and later that year admitted into the Diocese of New York as an independent parish.

St. Luke’s Church located on Convent Avenue and 141st Street, was consolidated with St. Martin’s in 1942, with one vestry and one Rector serving both congregations. The current edifice was built in 1892. Dr. Isaac Tuttle was the Rector of St. Luke’s, on Hudson Street, and it was through his efforts that the new church building and congregation were established on Convent Avenue. Under the leadership of the late Rector Emeritus, Rev. David Johnson who served as Chaplain for the City College of New York (CCNY) an emphasis was placed on educational outreach. Our current Rector has continued this tradition of emphasizing education. In 1991, he founded a middle school tutoring program, St. Luke’s Saturday School, which led directly to the establishment of a primary school in 2004 (Harlem Episcopal School) which has gone on to become Harlem Academy. Currently the St. Luke’s Community Garden is an outreach project of the church with the local neighborhood and CCNY students. Our history continues to be made…