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A big preservation struggle is coming to a head out in Ocean Hill, reports The Brooklyn Eagle, where a group of Italian Americans is fighting to prevent the Catholic Diocese from tearing down the beautiful Our Lady of Loreto Church; the neighborhood, which was predominantly Italian from the 1880s to 1970s, is now one of the poorest in the borough. The preservationist group Save Our Lady of Loreto has rallied the support of Sen. Diane Savino (D-Bay Ridge/Staten Island), Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Assemblyman William Boyland. The church was determined to be eligible in 2009 to be listed on the National Register of Historic Sites by the New York State Office of Historic Preservation and The New York Landmarks Conservancy has called the church historically significant: It’s one of the first examples of a Catholic church built in a igh Italian baroque style as well as one of the first instances of concrete construction being used in an artistic way. The Diocese argues that restoring the church would be prohibitively expensive. It’s a question of where we’re going to put our resources,” said Msgr. Kieran Harrington. Plus, the preservation effort is being led by people who do not live in the community and did not support the church when it was open, he says. Instead, the Diocese said it wants to tear the church down and build affordable housing, despite the fact that the preservationists along with the Conservancy has come up with an alternate plan for affordable housing nearby. Very sad.
Preservationists Seek To Save Historically Italian-American Church [Brooklyn Eagle]
Photo from the Bridge and Tunnel Club


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. Hi everybody

    Let me put some light on the subject and some important facts.

    The group that is trying to save the church has made a very good proposal.

    The Diocese of Brooklyn wants to tear down the church and built 88 new affordable apartments.
    Sounds like a good idea right?

    Well, the group wants to buy the property and built 102 new apartments and still keep the church standing.

    Their plan is to also restore the church and turn it into a Cultural Center for the people of Brownsville and all of Brooklyn at NO COST to the Diocese.

    Sounds even better doesn’t it?

    So what’s the problem?

    That’s the ultimate question.

    It seems that the Diocese has a “questionable reason” for rejecting their proposal.

    This is a win-win situation, but the group is mystified as to why their proposal has been rejected by the Diocese.

    It’s not a matter of money on the part of the group. They have the funds to support the project.

    So the question remains. Why has the Diocese rejected their proposal?

    If you would like to know the answer to this question, then please contact Bishop DiMarzio at the address below.

    Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
    310 Prospect Park West
    Brooklyn, NY 11215
    Tel: (718) 965-7300

    I’m sure he will give you his reason. Then you can post it for everyone to see.

    Thanks
    John

  2. benson you may be right, the diocese of Brooklyn and Queens are now separate than the Rockville diocese in LI. The Episcopal archdiocese in Brooklyn is headquartered in LI, Garden City I think, so many hierarchies, so little time.

    My point is that the RC church is very blessed, no pun intended, that so many new immigrants happen to come from countries that are catholic. They are dirt poor just like the Irish and Italian where in the 19th century, but they can fill up churches.

    I doubt very much that when the numbers are crunched that the diocese will tear this massive building down. They would do it if the land was valuable, but it’s not.

  3. Whatever the reason, the building is underutilized and the diocese doesn’t want or need it as a church anymore. Repurposing/conversion is viable if someone comes up with a proposal and the money to do it. But if not, what are we to expect or require the diocese to do?