Cathedral of St. John the DivineSuspected

Dated: Begun 1892; still unfinished
Declared purpose: Cathedral of the Episcopal Diocese of New York
Today: Survives, still a cathedral, unfinished
Build time: Over 130 years and unfinished
Region: United States
Architect of record: Heins & LaFarge, architects: about when credited (1891, born ). Build time on record: over 130 years and unfinished.; Ralph Adams Cram, architect: about 48 when credited (1911, born 1863). Build time on record: over 130 years and unfinished.All architects of record →
On the list as: Suspected

Why it's on the list

Over 130 years of work and still unfinished, while similar-scale buildings are dated to a few years.

Hidden history

Found, Not Built

One of the largest churches in the world, begun in 1892 and never finished. A large fire damaged it in 2001.

Why researchers flag it
Over 130 years of work and still unfinished, while similar-scale buildings are dated to a few years.
Never finished
More than a century of work and still incomplete. Researchers contrast this pace with buildings of similar scale dated to a few years.
A changed plan
The Byzantine-Romanesque plan switched to Gothic after 1909.
Architect of record
Ralph Adams Cram (born 1863) was about 48 when credited with the design in 1911. The Architects of Record page asks how often a young or little-known name delivers a landmark.