Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
An estimated 100-plus parishioners, preservation advocates and East Village residents gathered on Sunday afternoon to oppose the halt of services — and the potential sale — of the Most Holy Redeemer Church on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.
As we've been reporting, neighbors and local preservation groups have been campaigning to have the 1851 structure landmarked. Regular services here have stopped, and the property appears to be moving toward closure and possible sale, prompting growing concern from parishioners and preservationists alike.
On Sunday, organizers called on the Archdiocese to keep the church from being shuttered or sold, and urged the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission to move ahead with landmark designation.
The Archdiocese has yet to respond to any of the ongoing concerns or even share any potential future plans.
Most Holy Redeemer — founded in 1844 by the Redemptorist Fathers and completed in 1852 — has been closed to the public since Sept. 1. Parishioners have been directed to St. Brigid on Avenue B.
Village Preservation, the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative and the East Village Community Coalition have also urged the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission to protect the historic church, an architectural anchor of the neighborhood's 19th-century Kleindeutschland community.
The church is one of the East Village's oldest and most prominent religious buildings — and was once among the city's tallest and largest.
Find the petition about landmarking here. You can follow the Facebook group Save Most Holy Redeemer Historical Church here.
Previously on EV Grieve:
2 comments:
I used to stop here from time to time whenever I was in the area. I sat in the pews to pray, meditate, or rest. I had some great spiritual epiphanies on a few occasions. It was a great place to rest my weary soul. I would hate to see Holy Redeemer go. I hope it gets a landmark designation.
would make a great second Limelight, just sayin
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