WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES MAY 4, 2017 27 OUR NEIGHBORHOOD: THE WAY IT WAS The history of one of Woodhaven’s oldest churches PRESENTED BY THE WOODHAVEN CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY Emanuel United Church of Christ sits at the corner of 91st Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard, giving it the unique distinction of being either the fi rst or last thing people see when entering or leaving Woodhaven. Emanuel celebrates its 140th Anniversary this month and its history is as interesting as it is long. Emanuel began in various locations in Manhattan in a few churches supported by German immigrants and a few famous German notables such as Jacob Astor and General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who was George Washington's Chief of Staff in the fi nal years of the Revolutionary War. It was in 1877 that a new mission was launched, one that would try to reach the population that was rapidly expanding east from Manhattan into Brooklyn and Queens. On May 6, 1877, in a storefront on Delmonico Place in Brooklyn, the congregation offi cially met for the fi rst time and began plans to either build or buy a church to call their own. Within a year, they had acquired an abandoned church on Graham Street in Brooklyn, and with over a dozen members of the congregation they soon opened up a school for German students. Over the next quarter century, the church went through many ups and downs, nearly closing twice. But with a rapidly increasing population the church saw its prospects improve and by their 25th anniversary, they had over 500 members of the congregation and over 400 students in both of their schools, one German and one English. During World War I, the congregation found itself in the midst of confl ict due to its German heritage, and many of the congregation's elders began leaving Brooklyn for the wide open spaces of Queens and Long Island. Around the same time, a separate mission had begun in a storefront on Jamaica Avenue and 107th Street in Richmond Hill before purchasing a plot at 89th Avenue and Woodhaven Boulevard. The cost of building a permanent church was prohibitive (in fact they used a "portable" church for a while), but then it was decided that the church in Brooklyn and the mission in Woodhaven would merge and plans for a new church building were draft ed. The 89th Avenue church cost more than a hundred thousand dollars to build and it left the congregation deeply in debt. Then one of the parishioners, a man named Frederick Wallmann, passed away and left the church $43,000, which pretty much solved that problem. The new church building was opened in 1924 but it lasted a little over a decade. A year aft er its 60th Anniversary, in 1938, the City of New York took over the property and tore down the church as part of the project to widen Woodhaven Boulevard. (For those familiar with the area, the old church sat at 89th Avenue at what is now the middle of Woodhaven Boulevard.) The congregation received $136,000 from the city, bought a nearby plot of land on 91st Avenue, and built the beautiful church that has sat welcoming travelers to Woodhaven for nearly 80 years. The interior of the church itself is beautiful and you can fi nd various plaques commemorating the memories of the many beloved parishioners that have passed away over the years. In addition to the church, Emanuel’s church building has served at the home of many various groups and organizations over the years, including the Woodhaven Cultural & Historical Society which has been meeting at Emanuel for over two decades. One can imagine that those who were on Delmonico Place in Brooklyn in May 1877 had no idea how their storefront would become such a valued part of a Queens neighborhood 140 years later. On Sunday, May 7, Emanuel United Church of Christ will hold a special 140th Anniversary Mass that is open to the public. It's a wonderful opportunity to witness a part of Woodhaven's history being honored and remembered. Attendees are encouraged to wear something red as that is the liturgical color for an anniversary of a church. The Mass begins at 10:45 a.m., and there will be a reception with refreshments aft erwards. And, at 5 p.m. on Saturday, May 20, Emanuel will host a special old-fashioned Anniversary Pasta Dinner with old-fashioned prices (only $5 a person). Call 718-849-1153 to reserve your spot at this historic event celebrating a Woodhaven institution whose history stretches back almost as far as Woodhaven itself. Photos courtesy of the Woodhaven Cultural and Historical Society
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