Born in Brooklyn, William Boegel became one of the most prolific postwar architects of religious structures in the five boroughs by embracing the building boom initiated by the various Catholic dioceses in the mid-20th century. His projects are mentioned as early as 1922, when designs were unveiled for a major new hospital in downtown Jamaica, Mary Immaculate [1].

He quickly became a favorite of the Brooklyn Diocese, being included on a list of church approved architects in the 1920s, and commissions increased steadily through the 1940s, 50s, and 60s [2]. By the end of his career he had designed nearly 100 churches, schools, convents, and related ecclesiastical structures in Brooklyn, Queens, and Long Island. In 1962 he merged his successful practice with that of Edward Allodi, another architect of churches, whose base was in Connecticut. They worked together until Boegel’s death in 1967 [3].

Boegel’s designs tend to be more conservative than many of his peers, mixing restrained classical styles, including Lombardian, French Gothic, Spanish Gothic, and Renaissance Revival, with steel frame and concrete construction. He used high quality materials, with extensive use of brick and limestone more seen in earlier eras. Many of his designs could be mistaken for structures of an earlier era. Some of his later designs, especially schools, do start to exhibit more modernist tendencies with Miesian window grids and gleaming chrome finishes. Boegel received nine Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Awards from 1951 to 1966, including two for Boegel & Allodi.

Because of his prolific nature as a trusted architect of the Catholic dioceses, he had a large impact on the built fabric of Queens. His work is worth examining, however his influence on his peers was relatively minor as architects looked toward more overtly modern design principles, especially in the era of Vatican II.

Selected Projects

Mary Immaculate Hospital, Jamaica NY, 1922

Our Lady of the Cenacle Church and School, Richmond Hill NY, 1922-23

St. Christopher’s Church School, Baldwin NY, 1924

St. Sebastian School, Woodside NY, 1926

Holy Child Jesus Church, Richmond Hill NY, 1929

St. Robert Bellarmine School, Bayside NY, 1933

St. Clement Pope Rectory, Jamaica NY, 1936

Holy Child Jesus School, Richmond Hill NY, 1938

Our Lady of the Angelus Church and Rectory, Rego Park NY, 1939

St. Kevin School, Flushing NY, 1939

Holy Family Church, Fresh Meadows NY, 1940

Queen of Peace Church, Kew Gardens NY, 1940

St. Fidelis Convent, College Point NY, 1940s

St. Kevin Convent, Flushing NY, 1940s

St. Getrude’s Shrine, Edgemere NY, 1945

St. Elizabeth School and Convent, NYC, 1948

St. Theresa of Lisieux Convent, Brooklyn NY, 1949

St. Thomas the Apostle Church, East Norwalk CT, 1949

Cure of Ars School, Merrick NY, 1950

Notre Dame School, New Hyde Park NY, 1950

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament School, Bayside NY, 1951

St. Theresa’s Church, Woodside NY, 1952

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church Community Center, Ozone Park NY, 1954

Our Lady of Mount Carmel School and Convent, Astoria NY, 1954

Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Convent, Bayside NY, 1954

St. Mary Gate of Heaven School and Youth Center, Ozone Park NY, 1954

St. Ignatius Martyr School, Convent, and Rectory, Long Beach NY, c.1954

St. Gregory the Great Complex, Bellerose NY, 1954 and 1966

St. Sebastian’s Church, Woodside NY, 1955

Incarnation Convent, Rectory and School, Bellaire NY, 1956

St. Joseph’s Hospital Nuns’ Retirement Home, Yonkers NY, 1956

Good Shepherd Convent, Brooklyn NY, 1957

Sacred Heart Church, Bayside NY, 1958

St. Kevin’s Church and Convent, Flushing NY, 1959

St. Agnes School, College Point NY, 1960

St. Edmund’s High School, Brooklyn NY, 1960

St. Jerome’s School and Convent, Brooklyn NY, 1962

Our Holy Redeemer Church, Freeport NY, 1964

Sisters of St. Dominic Motherhouse, Amityville NY, 1965

St. Mary’s Church, Flushing NY, 1965

 

 

Sources
  1. “St. Mary’s Hospital Plans New Building.” The Brooklyn Standard Union. 23 November 1922. Fultonhistory.com. Web.
  2.  Noda, Jessie. “Roman Catholic Architecture in Queens, NY.” Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, & Preservation. 2011.
  3.  “Edward F. Allodi.” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 10 October 2017. Web. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_F._Allodi.

Queens Modern: The Architects

Queens Modern: The Architects