File:St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, Olean, New York - 20210730.jpg

English: St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 109 South Barry Street, Olean, New York, July 2021. Built in 1890 to a design by noted church architect Robert Gibson, the design of the church can be described as a typically eclectic representation of Victorian Gothic architecture that incorporated heavy influence from the Richardsonian Romanesque in the form of stout massing, prominent horizontal orientation especially evident on the front gable, and the rough texture of the sandstone blocks that comprise the façade. Nonetheless, the ubiquitous pointed arches, the quatrefoil reliefs in the wood trim over the triple windows flanking the main entrance, and the crenellations atop the offset tower all make clear where the design should be categorized stylistically. Projecting consecutively from the tower is an interesting conical-roofed turret that rises to half height, just below the triple louvers of the belfry. The oldest religious congregation in Olean of any denomination, St. Stephen's can trace its history at least as far back as 1829 (the first account of the church's existence, dated to February of that year, shows Reverend W. W. Bostwick receiving five new members into the church). This is the second building to serve as its home, replacing a still-extant wood-framed Gothic church half a block down Barry Street at the northeast corner of State Street. St. Stephen's was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001 and is also a would-be contributing property to the proposed Lincoln Park Historic District.