St. Thomas Episcopal Church (Newark, Delaware)

The Episcopal parish of St. Thomas was established in Newark in 1843, and a lot at the corner of Elkton Road and Delaware Avenue was purchased for the new church at a cost of $70. Construction started in August of that year and the new building was consecrated on February 25, 1845. The construction cost was approximately $3,825. The church is thought to have been designed by Richard Upjohn, although the available documentation does not completely confirm this.[2] The church was enlarged in 1866, adding a chancel and the 35-foot (11 m) entrance tower. The present stained glass windows were added later in the 19th century.[2]

By the 1950s, St. Thomas Parish had outgrown the old church, moving to a new site on South College Avenue. The old church was deconsecrated and served as Newark's public library from 1956 to 1974, but eventually this tenant too outgrew the building. It was later used for storage. The vacant church was eventually purchased by the University of Delaware in 1996 and refurbished to fix extensive structural damage due to leaks and neglect. Taking advantage of the church's acoustics, the university turned it into a recital hall equipped with a custom-built Dobson pipe organ and restored 1920 Steinway piano. It was renamed Bayard Sharp Hall after a university donor.[3]