The [[cathedral]] served the needs of Orthodox Christians in New York and throughout the country until 1926. As a fallout of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, the cathedral was declared the legal property of American representatives of the "[[Living Church]]". The head of the Russian Mission, Metropolitan [[Platon (Rozhdestvensky) of New York|Platon]] was restrained from further use of archdiocesan property. Temporary facilities were used as the diocesan cathedral until 1943 when a former Episcopalian church at 59 East Second Street in lower Manhattan was purchased and renovated. The new cathedral was dedicated to the Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. Over the next 30 some years, the cathedral on 2nd Street served as the headquarters of the mission in America, housing offices of the chancery and related national organizations until the late 1960s when many of activities were moved to the Syosset property. Until then the 2nd Street cathedral was used for convening meetings of the Metropolitan Council, the [[Holy Synod]] of Bishops (known until [[autocephaly]] as the "Great Council of Bishops"), and several [[All -American Sobor]]s. For many years most episcopal consecrations and ordinations to the [[diaconate]] and [[priest]]hood also took place in the lower Manhattan cathedral.