Preservationists fi ght to save Flatbush church
THE BEST WAY TO
CRUISE YOUR CITY
$2.75 Fare NYC Views Concessions Table Space Power Outlets Bike Racks
+ Free Transfers
COURIER L 10 IFE, JULY 26-AUG. 1, 2019 B G M
an evacuation
“ I have sure
plan. I will make does too.”
ZONE my family 3
Bushra QUEENS
Visit NYC.gov/knowyourzone or call 311 to find out what to do
to prepare for hurricanes in NYC #knowyourzone
BAY RIDGE SUNSET PARK
BROOKLYN
ARMY TERMINAL
WALL STREET
PIER 11
ATLANTIC AVE
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
PARK – PIER 6
DUMBO
BROOKLYN BRIDGE
PARK – PIER 1
RED HOOK
ATLANTIC BASIN
9
MIN
11
MIN
8
MIN
9
MIN
4
MIN
SOUTH BROOKLYN ROUTE
Download the NYC Ferry App to
Purchase Tickets, View Schedules & Service Alerts,
and Track Your Ferry in Real-Time
ferry.nyc
@NYCFerry @NYC_Ferry
BY AIDAN GRAHAM
A local preservation group is
seeking grassroots support
to prevent the demolition of a
historic Flatbush church following
its sale to a private developer
earlier this month,
asking New Yorkers to sign a
petition urging the city to protect
the 121-year-old edifi ce before
it’s too late.
“The danger to this historic
building is more real
than ever,” said Linda Allende,
a rep with the preservationist
with Respect Brooklyn
— which has been urging urging
the city to grant landmark
status to Flatbush Presbyterian
Church — located at 494
E. 23rd St. between Foster and
Newkirk avenues — since the
building went up for sale earlier
this year.
But now that developers
have offi cially taken possession
of the 1898-built church
for $3.325 million, preservationists
warn that the end may
be near for the historic house
of worship, suspecting its new
owners will seek to demolish
the 19th century building to
pave the way for future housing
developments, according
to Allende.
“It is no longer a church,”
said Allende. “It is in the
hands of a private LLC.”
The real estate brokers
listed for the sale did not respond
to request for comment
regarding plans for the building.
Respect Brooklyn members
expressed optimism that the
building’s sale would prompt
the city’s preservationist
agency to designate the building
as a landmark — thereby
preventing owners from making
alterations to the building’s
exterior without city approval
— but a spokeswoman
for the Landmarks Preservation
Commission roundly rejected
that notion, saying the
city has no plans to consider
the church at this time.
“While it may merit consideration
as a potential landmark,
further study is needed to determine
its signifi cance,” said
Zodet Negrón. “Such a study is
not currently among the agency’s
citywide priorities.”
Respect Brooklyn reps argued
that the Landmarks
Commission has neglected
southern Brooklyn relative
to other parts of the city —
pointing to the Commission’s
own interactive map as proof
that the density of landmarks
thins out along the borough’s
southern reach.
Negrón acknowledged the
area’s lack of landmarks, but
said the Commission needed
to be especially judicious
when landmarking any of
the city’s numerous houses of
worship.
“We appreciate the importance
of the building to
its community, but in a city
the size of New York, with its
many religious structures, the
Commission must be very selective
in choosing examples
of this building type for consideration
as individual landmarks,”
she said.
Respect Brooklyn is urging
the public to support the effort
by signing onto their petition ,
which currently boasts more
than 400 signatures. Supporters
can also email Borough
President Eric Adams and
Councilman Mathieu Eugene
through the group’s website.
Advocacy group Respect Brooklyn is calling on the city to grant landmark status to the Flatbush Presbyterian
Church after it was sold earlier this month for $3.325 million. Respect Brooklyn
/knowyourzone