From Lost City:The always tasteful folks at Massey Knakal tell us... "The two adjacent tax lots combine for approx. 23,721 buildable SF for residential and approx. 35,142 buildable SF for community use. The entire property may be delivered vacant upon closing, making it ideal for a user, investor or developer."
The current building is Renaissance-style building and has stained glass windows imported from France. The dedication took place on May 22, 1910 when the congregation numbered 500 and there were 750 pupils in the Sunday School. The United Presbyterian Church of Ridgewood came into being when the St. James United Presbyterian Church, also of Ridgewood, made overtures to unite. The merger of the two churches took place in October 1993.
5 comments:
Get ready for a lot of this. The Presbytery of NY has driven the congregations from the pews, but do everything to maintain bloated salaries for self-indulgent programs of little interest save personal agendas.
101 churches will be consoldiated into 7.
Ditto with others from Roman Catholics to Epispocalians.
A budding crisis that the preservatoin community has little awareness of, and even less interest to address.
There are a lot of churches that are filled and the people are paying for the upkeep of the buildings and even expanding. It not the end of Christianity in the city.
The Presbyterians and Episcopalians who occupied these churches have moved to the suburbs or simply abandoned these denominations and the replacement populations in Ridgewood and elsewhere don't have a need for these structures or can't afford them.
Correct Sweeney.
These properties can continue to serve their orginal function and serve as community centers (if we can ever cut back on coroporate welfare) or (gasp) homes for new congregations.
Historic fabric remains and infrastrucutre not burdened.
And the final point is that when something like this happens they should mandate community heartings.
PS 'Presbytery' is a name for a regional governing body within that demonination ... as in the 'Presbytery of NYC'.
"the replacement populations in Ridgewood and elsewhere don't have a need for these structures or can't afford them."
I disagree. Ridgewood was not a wealthy area a hundred years ago, and the "replacement populations" are not impoverished. Too bad so many of these churches are governed by unimaginative political types with all sort of agendas, everything other than building healthy communities, which ought to be their primary role.
Same with Our Lady of Loreto, so there are no more Italians in Brownsville, think of all the Latino Catholics in Brownsville and East New York who could form a vibrant community in that beautiful space if only the Church leaders would put a little effort into it.
It all depends on whether you see their "primary role" as sacred spaces consecrated for the worship of God in the tradition of the Presbyterians, or as an empty available building with a high ceiling. Or do dead churches build living communities?
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