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Lafever's reputation rests on two aspects of his career. In the 1820s and
1830s, the architect published several works that promoted the Greek Revival
style. His Modern Builder's Guide, first printed in 1833, had seven
editions by 1855, its popularity due to its designs for townhouse, then gaining
fashion in New York. Lafever was also known for his Gothic Revival churches,
mostly executed in Brooklyn. Upjohn's Trinity Church, begun in 1839, had sparked
this interest in Gothic Revival churches. These drawings are designs for an
unbuilt church on Henry and Montague, which may be an early version of Holy
Trinity on Montague Street. It was perhaps too expensive for the funds raised by
subscription. This drawing is bound in a book of specifications for the church
along with other drawings and a print of Holy Trinity as built.
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