The Riverside Church in the City of New York is an interdenominational church, famous not only for its Gothic architecture, which includes the world's largest tuned carillon bell, but also as a center for the promotion of progressive causes. The tallest church in the US and the 26th tallest in the world, it was described by The New York Times in 2008 as "a stronghold of activism and political debate throughout its 75-year history ... influential on the nation's religious and political landscapes." The Church was designed by the firm of Allen, Pelton and Collens. Henry C. Pelton and Charles Collens were commissioned by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to travel across Spain and France to find inspiration for their project. Modeled after Chartres Cathedral in France, the church was begun in 1927 and, following delays caused by a spectacular fire in the wooden scaffolding, held its first service at the main altar on October 5, 1930. The west-facing main entrance, in the base of the tower, is based on the Porte Royale of Chartres, with the seated figure of Christ in the tympanum, flanked by the symbols of the Evangelists. The figures sculpted in the concentric arches of the doorway represent leading personalities of religion and philosophy, joined by great scientists.
