In Vinegar Hill, Another Church Biting the Dust
We’re sad to report that Brooklyn is in the process of losing another piece of history, as demolition is set to begin on St. George’s Church at 203 York Street in Vinegar Hill. (Workmen on site confirm that the entire structure is coming down.) The 10,000-square-foot church and adjacent 5,000-square-foot parish hall were purchased from…
We’re sad to report that Brooklyn is in the process of losing another piece of history, as demolition is set to begin on St. George’s Church at 203 York Street in Vinegar Hill. (Workmen on site confirm that the entire structure is coming down.) The 10,000-square-foot church and adjacent 5,000-square-foot parish hall were purchased from the Roman Catholic Diocese on October 24 by the Tocci family, a long-time landowner in the area, for $3,200,000. The Toccis, formerly proprietors of a waste management business, already have an illustrious track record in the neighborhood: they were responsible for tearing down another church, St. Ann’s, at 251 Front Street back in 1992, and paving it over after their own business expansion plans failed. The lot is now, charmingly, lined with corrugated metal and rented out as truck parking. They’ve wasted little time on their latest anti-beautification effort, as a small rear addition on Gold Street has already been reduced to rubble (inset). There’s nothing posted online yet about what plans lie in store for the church site post-demolition but it’s a bit of a tough spot for luxury condos, given its close proximity to the Farragut Houses. According to one investor who’s active in the neighborhood, the property never even came on the market, which isn’t surprising given that the church probably wanted to avoid public criticism for its complicity. Seems like it would have been worth the effort to at least put the property on the market and seek a developer who would be open to adaptive reuse. GMAP P*Shark DOB
Benson, you may be right that Venice has become a dead city, and residents can no longer live there. But that is because it is such a beautiful city, one of the few in the world, that millions of people want to visit it. Strange that your solution to the problem is to make the few beautiful places more ugly rather than make the many ugly places more beautiful.
10.43 AM;
I suppose that you are unable to debate the issue on its merits, so you resort to name-calling.
Benson
Benson,
You, sir, are an idiot.
10.24 AM;
You don’t say! Who knew?
My point remains. It is the height of silliness for a church to be used as a condominium, and it shows no regard or respect for the church, which is exactly why the Diocese did what it did.
If other congregations have no problems seeing their former church buildings used a “Limelight” or wine bar, that’s their business. As a Catholic, I do have problems seeing 22 year olds using a former bapistry as a venue for a party.
Stop being busybodies with other people’s property, and let this be a living, breathing city. For you information, the Diocese did make a go at preserving this parish. The combination of a dwindling membership and a crumbling building pushed it to this point.
Benson
Benson, as a self-proclaimed “church-going Catholic,” you must know that there are formal ceremonies to deconsecrate a church, after which it is just a building.
I think that “Brownstoner” and his allies in the “Forgotten New York” crowd have reached the point of silliness.
I am a church-going Catholic. To me, I would rather see this building torn down and a new use found for the land than it serve as a habitat for folks who have no regard for its original purpose. It is a desecration to use this building merely as a condominium for those who wish to preserve the city in amber, which somehow fulfills their vision of what it ought to look like.
I’m sure “Forgotten NY” will soon be on the case with another “What we’re losing” feature. The apotheosis of that silly column was his feature on the Underberg building on Atlantic Ave. – a delapidated eyesore that sat fallow for years.
You want to see the results of such a “vision” for a city: go visit Venice. Thanks to the “historic preservationists” it is a virtually dead city. Venetians no longer live there – it is just a Disneyland for preservationists.
Benson
Are these the same guys that just bought St. Elias Church on Kent Street in Greenpoint? Can they tear that down too? Would be a shame.
“… which isn’t surprising given that the church probably wanted to avoid public criticism for its complicity.”
does that ring any church bells?
I believe that the Vinegar Hill Neighborhood Association, perhaps in coordination with Councilwoman James, did approach the diocese about finding a developer that would adaptively re-use the building. Can anybody confirm that?