4. The Baptistery Was Designed by John Lafarge, Who Worked on the Met Museum

John La Farge was one of the preeminent 19th century American designers. His New York City commissions, which range from murals to altarpieces to stained glass windows, can be seen in the Church of the Ascension, St. Paul’s Chapel, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. La Farge’s eldest son Christopher Grant La Farge would go on to design the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, the Bronx Zoo, and the original artwork for the subway. John La Farge designed the baptistery for St. Patrick’s Cathedral, which St. Patrick’s contends “is recognized as one of the most aesthetically inspiring areas within the Cathedral.”