For crumbling congregations, a bible
on how to save a house of worship
BY RACHEL HOLLIDAY SMITH
THE CITY
Even before the pandemic, many of
New York’s houses of worship were
facing an existential crisis.
For years, interest in joining churches,
mosques and synagogues has been on
the decline nationally, leaving the physical
homes and fi nances of many spiritual
communities deteriorated. Now, amid the
upheaval of the coronavirus, survival is even
more uncertain, said Rachel Hildebrandt,
senior program manager at Partners for
Sacred Places, a nonprofi t whose mission
is to promote community use of religious
real estate.
“Many churches have plateaued,” Hildebrandt
said. “There’s just a general uneasiness
about the future right now —and I think
COVID made it worse.”
A Bronx Pastor Bargained for a New
Church in Selling His Congregation’s Land.
He Says He Has Nothing to Show for It.
A cadre of clergy, congregants, land
use experts and planners are fi ghting back
against the trend in one of the places hit
hardest by the pandemic with a new handbook
— a bible, of sorts.
The “Action Book,” released this week by
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer,
is chock full of answers to the question:
How can a congregation keep its building,
while still carrying out its mission?
The historic Judson Memorial Church sits on prime real estate overlooking
Washington Square Park, March 19, 2021.
Figuring that out can be incredibly diffi
cult, noted Donna Schaper, senior minister
at the Judson Memorial Church in Greenwich
Village, which is among the groups whose
input is included in Brewer’s report. Congregations
are not usually equipped to be a real
estate business fi lled with developers who are
“not all rapacious,” she said, but can be.
“There’s just a lot of places that are trying
to rip off churches,” she said.
Judson founded a nonprofi t called Bricks
and Mortals that aims to help religious institutions
cope with mounting bills and the
pressures to sell.
Schaper said she’s found that small
HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURAN
churches with fewer than 20 members are
most at risk. Many haven’t paid their pastor
in months, or have had their water cut, or
lights turned off.
“A lot of these congregations just disappear,”
Schaper said.
Nationally, about 1% of congregations
close each year, according to research cited by
The New York Times late last year. Brewer’s
offi ce found that between 2010 and 2020,
the numbers of religious congregations in
Manhattan declined by 7% from 976 to 907.
Karen DiLossi, director of arts at Partners
for Sacred Places — which also informed
Brewer’s report — said the pressure is worse
in Black and brown neighborhoods where
would-be buyers target weakened churches.
“They may have a diminishing congregation,
and maybe they have a huge facility, but
the upkeep is too much,” she said. “They feel
tremendous amounts of pressure to sell.”
The Action Book, written in partnership
with the NYU Wagner School of Public Service,
offers guidance about alternatives to cashing
out. The report also explains the basics of
New York’s land use rules, how air rights work,
the pros and cons of landmarking a building
and what to know about redevelopment.
Brewer’s guide gives local examples of how
some local congregations have made their
properties work for them. It describes a deal
made in Harlem by Bethel Gospel Assembly
to sell air rights and allow a developer to
build on the church’s former parking lot. In
Washington Heights, Rocky Mountain Baptist
Church arranged to be part of a senior housing
development under construction now.
“Religious institutions are a bedrock of
neighborhood life and identity, and serve as a
spiritual, social, and cultural resource for our
city,” Brewer said in the guide’s introduction.
“The pressure of being in New York shouldn’t
have to mean that congregations close.”
This story was fi rst published on March
22, 2021 by THE CITY, an independent,
nonprofi t news outlet dedicated to hardhitting
reporting that serves the people of
New York. To read the full version, visit
thecity.nyc.
Educational bldg. in Village closer to landmark
BY CARSEN HOLADAY
The Landmarks Preservation Commission
advanced proposals Tuesday to
provide historical designation to the
Educational Building in Greenwich Village.
LPC Chair Sarah Carroll moved the
March 23 public hearing to discuss The
Educational Building at 70 Fifth Ave. in
Greenwich Village, also known as 2-6 West
13th Street.
The 12-story Beaux-Arts-style loft building
was built by Charles A. Rich around
1914. The building was originally commissioned
by book publisher and philanthropist
George Arthur Plimpton for the educational
book publisher Ginn & Company.
The upper fl oors of the building were
leased to many social reform organizations,
including the NAACP, which had its national
offi ce there from 1914 to 1923.
Community member Eve Kahn read a
letter from Sarah Plimpton, George Plimpton’s
granddaughter, during the hearing.
“This building is a true history lesson. Not
only the architecture, but of its importance
in civil rights, labor rights and even world
affairs,” Plimpton wrote in her letter. “It was
an education for me to read about 70 Fifth
and it should be saved for others to learn
as I did.”
The Educational Building was renovated
in 2005 and is currently part of the
Sheila C. Johnson Design Center at The New
School’s Parsons School of Design. Very few
changes have been made to the exterior of
the building.
“We feel that the purpose of landmark
designation is to preserve the historic nature
and sense of place that a structure of neighborhood
provides,” said Charlie Anderson,
community liaison to Assembly Member
Deborah Glick. “Seventy Fifth Avenue is
an excellent example of the intersection of
historic signifi cance and the overall sense
of place represented in a single building.”
The next step for the items, proposed
PHOTO VIA PROPERTYSHARK/CHRISTOPHER BRIDE
without any opposition, is a public meeting
during which the Commission will vote on
the designations.
4 March 25, 2021 Schneps Media