Gemini Rosemont buys third parcel on 2nd Avenue for future development

As expected, Gemini Rosemont Development bought the former La Salle annex at 38 Second Ave. and Second Street.

The $14.5 million purchase of the four-story building — announced yesterday — is the third of three contiguous parcels between Second Street and Third Street acquired by the firm this year for future development. Gemini Rosemont closed on 42-44 Second Ave. and 46-48 Second Ave. (the former Church of the Nativity) in March for $40 million.

The total lot area of the assembled site is 14,075 square feet, according to city records. The combined development site can accommodate an as-of-right buildable area of 75,908 square feet and up to 101,210 square feet of residential area under the city's Inclusionary Housing Program.

Development plans have not been made public. Meanwhile, demolition permits have already been filed for the former Church of the Nativity and the adjacent building.



La Salle purchased the Annex property in 1966 to provide additional space for its large population of students during that era. Since 2010, the Annex served as the home of the Brothers' Community that was associated with the school and provided office space for some members of the school's administrative staff.

According to a press release on the sale, proceeds are earmarked for school's endowment.

A significant portion of the proceeds from the sale are earmarked for La Salle Academy’s endowment fund, boosting the school’s financial stability and its ability to meet the growing needs of the segment of its student population who require tuition assistance. La Salle Academy, which currently occupies the top three floors of St. George’s Ukrainian School on East Sixth Street off Second Avenue, will continue to operate at its present location.

Brother Thomas Casey current president of La Salle Academy, remarked enthusiastically, "This sale will benefit La Salle students far into the future."

La Salle Academy's former school building and Brothers' Residence on Second Street, which is currently leased by the Nord Anglia International School, are not included in the transaction.

The Church of the Nativity closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

As previously reported, the Cooper Square Community Land Trust had explored buying the former Church of the Nativity to use as low-income housing.

As for the future of 38-48 Second Ave., the Gemini Rosemont website notes that they look to rent to "tenants in high growth and tech centric industries."

Demolition permits filed for former Church of the Nativity and La Salle building next door

[Photos by Josh Charow]

Last week brought news that Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor that specializes in "tenants in high growth and tech centric industries," bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue as well as the former La Salle annex next door for $40 million.



In addition last week, the demolition permits were filed for both buildings, per DOB records.



For now, the corner building at Second Street, 38 Second Ave., is not part of the unspecified new development expected here. (But a lot of observers figure that status will change.)

The Church of the Nativity closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

No word yet on what Gemini Rosemont has planned for their new East Village parcel. Their other NYC projects include the 13-floor, 45-unit condoplex on 14th Street and Sixth Avenue that will look something like this...


[Rendering via Binyan Studios]

Thanks to Josh Charow for the photos!

Development deal for former Church of the Nativity includes the La Salle space next door

As we reported on Tuesday, Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor, bought the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue for $40 million.

According to public records, the deal includes two parcels — 42-44 Second Ave. and 46-48 Second Ave.



As several readers have pointed out, including Upper West Sider, the transaction is for the former church and part of the former La Salle property next door at 44 Second Ave. ...



For now, the corner building at Second Street, 38 Second Ave., is not part of the unspecified new development expected here.

La Salle, which dates to 1856 in this neighborhood, relocated to St. George Academy on Sixth Street in 2008.

The original La Salle Academy on Second Street was leased to a for-profit private school. The Second Avenue properties were apparently used as the school annex, providing additional classrooms and office space.

The Church of the Nativity closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

As previously reported, the Cooper Square Community Land Trust had explored buying the former Church of the Nativity to use as low-income housing.

As for the future of 42-48 Second Ave., the Gemini Rosemont website notes that they look to rent to "tenants in high growth and tech centric industries."

L.A.-based investor pays $40 million for former Church of the Nativity property on 2nd Avenue

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York has sold the former Church of the Nativity property on Second Avenue for $40 million, according to public records. (H/T Upper West Sider!)



The buyer is Gemini Rosemont, an L.A.-based real-estate investor. The LLCs that purchased 42-46 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street are based out of the company’s Santa Fe office, as The Real Deal noted.

According to their website, they look to rent to "tenants in high growth and tech centric industries."

There were rumors dating to January about this deal. Now it's official.

The Church closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

As previously reported, the Cooper Square Community Land Trust had explored buying the former Church of the Nativity to use as low-income housing.

However, the Archdiocese of New York reportedly didn't seem too keen on that idea, perhaps intent on garnering top dollar for the prime real estate for luxury housing.


[Photo at Nativity from Jan. 10 by Felton Davis]

In April 2019, Catholic Homes New York, the affordable housing unit of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York, announced plans to redevelop several existing properties to provide 2,000 affordable units in NYC over the next 10 years. Not on the affordable-housing list: Church of the Nativity and the Church of Saint Emeric on 13th Street near Avenue D.

This wouldn't be the first time that a former Catholic church was demolished for upscale housing in this neighborhood. Developer Douglas Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property in 2012 from the Archdiocese of New York for $41 million.

During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory to make way for Steiner East Village, the block-long condoplex where a penthouse unit is currently renting for $19,000 per month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

• The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

• Report: Archdiocese of New York announces affordable-housing projects; fate of 2 East Village churches unknown

A rally at the former Church of the Nativity as rumored sale of building spreads

Rumors started late last year that the Archdiocese of New York had sold the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street for use as luxury housing. (There's nothing in public records yet to confirm the rumors.)

This afternoon at 3, the Cooper Square Committee and the Nativity Committee are holding a rally in front of the property at 44 Second Ave. ... per the flyers, "the $40 million sale of the Nativity Church/Rectory is coming."



The Church closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street.

As previously reported, the Cooper Square Community Land Trust had explored buying the former Church of the Nativity to use as low-income housing.

However, the Archdiocese of New York reportedly didn't seem too keen on that idea, perhaps intent on garnering top dollar for the prime real estate for luxury housing.

In April 2019, Catholic Homes New York, the affordable housing unit of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York, announced plans to redevelop several existing properties to provide 2,000 affordable units in NYC over the next 10 years. Not on the affordable-housing list: Church of the Nativity and the Church of Saint Emeric on 13th Street near Avenue D.

This wouldn't be the first time that a former Catholic church was demolished for upscale housing in this neighborhood. Developer Douglas Steiner bought the former Mary Help of Christians property in 2012 from the Archdiocese of New York for $41 million.

During the summer of 2013, workers demolished the church, school and rectory to make way for Steiner East Village, the block-long condoplex where a penthouse unit is currently renting for $19,000 per month.

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

• The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

• Report: Archdiocese of New York announces affordable-housing projects; fate of 2 East Village churches unknown

A Town Hall to discuss the future of the neighborhood's former religious properties

[The former Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue]

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust has organized a Town Hall for Monday night at Cooper Union (details below) to discuss potential future opportunities for former religious properties in the neighborhood.

As previously reported, the Land Trust had explored buying the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue to use as low-income housing. However, the Archdiocese of New York reportedly didn't seem too keen on that idea, perhaps intent on garnering top dollar for the prime real estate for luxury housing between Second Street and Third Street.

In early April, Catholic Homes New York, the affordable housing unit of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York, announced plans to redevelop several existing properties to provide 2,000 affordable units in NYC over the next 10 years. Not on the affordable-housing list: Church of the Nativity and the Church of Saint Emeric on 13th Street near Avenue D.

Here are more details about Monday's Town Hall via the EVG inbox...

The community is extremely concerned about the losses of religious properties, as well as the redevelopment of these buildings into luxury housing which has led to the severe displacement of our senior and working-class neighborhoods and communities of color.

“We recognize the good that religious institutions do for our community, but these institutions also have a moral obligation to avoid doing social harm,” said Valerio Orselli, project director of the Cooper Square Community Land Trust.

The agenda will include a brief presentation that is based on a recent international conference in Rome titled, “Doesn’t God Live Here Anymore?” It will answer the questions of just what is the appropriate re-use of closed or at risk religious-owned properties and who is to be involved in making the decision.

A focal point of the discussion will be the Church of the Nativity, which is closely identified with Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker Movement and candidate for canonization by the Catholic Church.

Joanne Kennedy from The Catholic Worker said, “We are disheartened by the unnatural inflation of Manhattan’s property values but hopeful that Nativity will be developed into low-income housing that would be consistent with both Dorothy Day’s and the Archdiocese’s mission of social justice.”

The Case for Community Land Trusts, the final segment, will enhance the necessity for land trusts and also emphasize the Town Hall Meeting’s goal: to advance toward a new, transparent relationship between communities and religious institutions.

The Town Hall is set for Monday (May 6) at 7 p.m. in the Rose Auditorium at Cooper Union, 41 Cooper Square at Seventh Street.

The meeting is sponsored by the Cooper Square Community Land Trust, Community Board 3, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, City Council members Carlina Rivera and Margaret Chin, Habitat for Humanity, Cooper Square Committee, and several other political representatives and organizations.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Residences rising from the former Mary Help of Christians lot will now be market-rate condos

Looking at the Church of Saint Emeric on East 13th Street

From St. Emeric's to St. Brigid's

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

Report: Archdiocese of New York announces affordable-housing projects; fate of 2 East Village churches unknown

Report: Archdiocese of New York announces affordable-housing projects; fate of 2 East Village churches unknown

[EVG photo of Church of the Nativity from March 16]

Catholic Homes New York, the affordable housing unit of Catholic Charities and the Archdiocese of New York, announced plans yesterday to redevelop several existing properties to provide 2,000 affordable units in NYC over the next 10 years.

Not on the affordable-housing list for now, as Gothamist first noted, are the now-closed Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street, and the Church of Saint Emeric on 13th Street near Avenue D.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust has been actively trying to buy and develop these two properties for use as low-income housing.

Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York, said that he was not aware of the plans for these two East Village parcels.

Per Gothamist yesterday:

"While we commend the church for the good they are doing, we remain opposed to the church disposing of properties in gentrifying neighborhoods that are in danger of luxury condo development," said Val Orselli, a project director with Cooper Square Community Land Trust. "The church has not merely an obligation to do good but it also has an obligation not to do harm."

As Curbed reported in February, the Archdiocese of New York was said to be considering a proposal to turn the 300,000-square-foot property that housed Saint Emeric on 13th Street, which includes a former school, over to a land trust for 400 units of below-market-rate housing.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust is expected to host a town hall next month with Community Board 3 to discuss "how decommissioned churches can be best utilized by the Archdiocese and the communities they once served."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Church of Saint Emeric on East 13th Street

From St. Emeric's to St. Brigid's

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

The fight to keep Church of the Nativity from becoming luxury housing

[Photo from yesterday]

ICYMI from Thursday ... Elizabeth Kim at Gothamist has a feature on the Cooper Square Community Land Trust's efforts to buy the Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue for use as low-income housing.

An excerpt:

The land trust proposed a price of $18.5 million. Of that amount, $5 million would be paid to the archdiocese upon closing. The remainder, which would use a combination of federal tax credits and state and local funding, would be paid in installments over a 20-year period.

David Brown, the church’s director of real estate, told Val Orselli [a project director with Cooper Square Community Land Trust] he would get back to him.

Several months later, Orselli returned to Brown's office. In a show of support, representatives of city councilmembers Carlina Rivera and Margaret Chin, as well as the Manhattan regional representative from Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office, accompanied him.

But Brown was unmoved. The offer was insufficient, he told them. Among the sticking points was the land trust’s inability to pay upfront.

“He told me, ‘A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow,'” Orselli recalled.

Orselli took the rejection as a sign that the church, a tax-exempt institution, was more interested in getting top dollar for its property, which has been estimated as being worth as much as $50 million.

“I was a bit naive,” he said. Referring to the land trust’s pitch to do something with the property that was aligned with papal doctrines, he added, “They couldn’t care less.”

The Church closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street. In the summer of 2017, the archdiocese desacralized the former church, clearing the way for a potential sale of the desirable property.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust is currently organizing a town hall this May with Community Board 3 to discuss "how decommissioned churches can be best utilized by the Archdiocese and the communities they once served." Something other than demolishing them to make way for ultra-luxury condos.

View this post on Instagram

We came across this note someone left at Nativity Church/44 Second Ave. It says, “Buyer Beware: God Still Lives Here.” . . . . . . . #nycchurch #churchforsale #nativitynyc #churchofthenativity #catholicchurch #eastvillagechurch #churchnyc #nativitychurch

A post shared by Friends of Nativity Church (@nativitynyc) on Mar 12, 2019 at 4:53pm PDT

Meanwhile, as Curbed reported in February, the Archdiocese of New York is considering a proposal to turn the 300,000-square-foot property that housed Saint Emeric on 13th Street, which includes a former school, over to a land trust for 400 units of below-market-rate housing.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Church of Saint Emeric on East 13th Street

From St. Emeric's to St. Brigid's

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

Report: Discussions on a mixed-income community for former St. Emeric property

[EVG file photo]

There is some development news to report about the former Church of Saint Emeric, which has sat empty since merging with St. Brigid's in early 2013.

St. Emeric's, built in 1950, is on a lonely stretch of 13th Street near Avenue D. The church sits next to the NYC Department of Environmental Protection's Manhattan Pumping Station and across the street from the Con Ed power plant ...


[EVG file photo]

As Curbed reported late last week, the Archdiocese of New York is considering a proposal to turn the 300,000-square-foot property, which includes a former school, over to a land trust for 400 units of below-market-rate housing.

Per Curbed...

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust has offered to partner with developer Jonathan Rose Companies to create a mixed-income community ...

The Archdiocese has already committed to devoting 100,000 square feet of the property toward affordable housing — though they have yet to define tenant income requirements — on land that houses the former Church of St. Emeric. But housing advocates say the church should further its charitable mission by devoting the entire lot to low- to middle-income housing.

And...

[I]f the trust’s proposal to develop St. Emeric's is accepted, the project would also include community space, as well as services for mental and physical health, senior services, and educational programming. The group would fine tune the plan based off of community feedback.

And if all this goes through, given the proximity to Con Ed, the land would require environmental remediation from contaminated soil.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese doesn't seem so keen to convert the former Church of Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street into similar housing.

The Church closed after a service on July 31, 2015, merging with Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street. In the summer of 2017, the archdiocese desacralized the former church, clearing the way for a potential sale of the desirable property.

Back to Curbed:

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust ... offered to buy Church of the Nativity for $18.5 million (with $5 million in closing costs) over a 30-year period, but the Archdiocese has instead expressed interest in seeking market value for the land and using the funds to address needs at the Most Holy Redeemer and parishes across the city.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust is currently organizing a town hall this spring with Community Board 3 to discuss "how decommissioned churches can be best utilized by the Archdiocese and the communities they once served." Something other than demolishing them to make way for ultra-luxury condos.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking at the Church of Saint Emeric on East 13th Street

From St. Emeric's to St. Brigid's

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

Educator: Turning the former Church of the Nativity into luxury housing would be a 'sordid use' of the property

[EVG file photo]

I haven't heard anything the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue in almost a year to the date.

On Dec. 2, 2017, Friends of Nativity Church and the Cooper Square Community Land Trust held a prayer service and advocated that the property be used for low-incoming housing.

First, some background before getting to the point of bringing this up now.

The church closed in July 2015 as part of a massive consolidation reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests available to say mass. The Church of the Nativity merged with the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Friends of Nativity had previously proposed a Dorothy Day Shrine and retreat center with services for the homeless at 44 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street. (Read more about that proposal here.)

This past summer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York desacralized the former church, clearing the way for a potential sale of the desirable property.

Last Thursday, Rebecca Amato, a professor at NYU and associate director of the school's Urban Democracy Lab, presented on the Church of the Nativity at the Pontifical Council for Culture’s international conference on cultural heritage in Rome. The topic of the conference, "Doesn’t God Dwell Here Anymore?," facilitated discussion about reusing church landholdings after they are decommissioned.

According to her presentation, the Archdiocese of New York has sold at least 19 sacred properties for luxury development since 1996. (Hello Steiner East Village!)

In an interview with the National Catholic Reporter published Monday, Amato makes her case for using the site for the needy. (H/T to The Lo-Down who linked to this article yesterday.)

An excerpt from the article:

Amato ... said former parishioners proposed to purchase the decommissioned church for $18 million to develop low-income, senior and homeless family housing.

The alternative plan is to sell the property for a reported $50 million and build a luxury residential development, which Amato said would be a "sordid use" of a once-sacred edifice.

Although not all of the residents in the area were parishioners, decommissioned churches like the Church of the Nativity continue to be an integral part of "the fabric of a neighborhood," Amato said.

"Those are the kind of things that are destroyed by global investment firms, but they shouldn't be destroyed by the archdiocese; they shouldn't be behaving the same way," Amato said.

The proposal to convert the parish into low-income housing would greatly benefit the residents near the church, Amato said. Predominantly made up of Catholics of Puerto Rican descent, residents find themselves not only "displaced by housing issues, evictions, rising land costs but now they're being displaced by their own Catholic Church, by the archdiocese."

"So, the idea of selling this property — that is so associated with the Catholic Worker [Movement] and advocacy for the poor — for $50 million is astounding on so many levels."

And the Archdiocese's take:

Joseph Zwilling, communications director for the New York Archdiocese, acknowledged that several proposals for the site were reviewed, including the proposal submitted by the church's former parishioners.

Nevertheless, he said, "the parish needs to receive fair market value for the property so that the parish and the archdiocese can continue to meet the pastoral, charitable, educational — and housing — needs of the people we serve."

Zwilling also explained that the proposed sale of the property "is by and for the parish, not the archdiocese."

He also said that proceeds from the sale of the Church of the Nativity, which was merged in 2015 with a neighboring parish — Most Holy Redeemer — would not go to the archdiocese, but the parish.

You can read another interview with Amato along with more background in this article at America Magazine.

Not mentioned in this articles: This past July, Provincial Superior Father Paul Borowski announced during a mass at the Most Holy Redeemer that the Redemptorists would be turning the parish back to the archdiocese in the summer of 2019. (Among other reasons, he cited older and fewer priests.) As I understand it, the church, which was completed in 1852, will be administered by a Diocesan priest starting next summer.

Previously on EV Grieve:
As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure

Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

Parishioners hope their prayers are answered with former Nativity space on 2nd Avenue

Parishioners hope their prayers are answered with former Nativity space on 2nd Avenue

[EVG file photo]

This past summer, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York desacralized the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street ... clearing the way for a potential sale of the desirable property.

Tomorrow afternoon, Friends of Nativity Church and the Cooper Square Community Land Trust are holding a prayer service at the Most Holy Redeemer on Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... before walking over to the Second Avenue building.

According to the flyer, participants will pray "that the resources of Nativity & Most Holy Redeemer be used to serve the most needy among us and for the good of the world." (AKA, Please don't tear down the church and build luxury condos.)



The church closed in July 2015 as part of a massive consolidation reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests available to say mass. The Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer.

The Friends of Nativity had previously proposed a Dorothy Day Shrine and retreat center with services for the homeless at 44 Second Ave. (Read more about that proposal here.)

Archdiocese officials allow 10 days for parishioners to appeal the decree of a closed church. In this case, the Archdiocese made the announcement this summer on the Friday before the long July 4 holiday weekend.

Updated 10 a.m.

Just received the news release on the service...

Parishioners and friends of the former Church of the Nativity will gather for a prayer service on Dec. 2, led by Father Sean McGillicuddy at 1:30 PM at the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer followed by a Walk to Church of the Nativity and remarks and prayers in front of the church at 2:30 PM.

The former parishioners of the Church of the Nativity are advocating that the site be used to serve the most needy, hopefully by providing low income housing in a neighborhood that is rapidly gentrifying.

The parish was first established in 1842 and for time was a Jesuit mission parish. Dorothy Day, the co-founder of the Catholic Worker, who is being proposed for canonization, was a parishioner. Her Funeral Mass was held there in 1980.

In the spirit of Dorothy Day and Pope Francis, Joanne Kennedy, a parishioner of Nativity and Most Holy Redeemer and member of the Catholic Worker stated: "Other shuttered Catholic churches nearby have been sold to developers for luxury housing, including Mary Help of Christians. This cannot happen here, where Dorothy came to pray."

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust and Nativity/Most Holy Redeemer parishioners have requested a meeting with Cardinal Dolan to discuss a proposal to redevelop the site as low-income housing for families, seniors, disabled and the homeless, a community center (to replace homeless services lost when the Holy Name Center closed) as well as a small meditation room dedicated to Dorothy Day.

The Cooper Square Community Land Trust has been protecting and preserving affordable housing in the Lower East Side for over 20 years, and in collaboration with the Cooper Square MHA owns, manages and operates 21 buildings.

Previously on EV Grieve:
As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure

Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

Sunday morning freebies

Spotted on Second Avenue on the steps of the former Church of the Nativity between Third Street and Second Street... hurry, because I'm going back as soon as I find a VCR.

The former Church of the Nativity one step closer to hitting the sales market on 2nd Avenue

[EVG file photo]

On Friday, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York relegated 16 churches to profane use — the first step toward a property sale. On that list: the former Church of the Nativity at 44 Second Ave. between Second Street and Third Street.


[Image via @NativityNYC]

The church closed in July 2015 as part of a massive consolidation reportedly due to changing demographics and a shortage of priests available to say mass. The Church of the Nativity merged with Most Holy Redeemer Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

Archdiocese officials allow 10 days for parishioners to appeal the decree of a closed church. (As one Nativity activist noted, the Archdiocese made the announcement on a Friday before a long holiday weekend, which cut into the time to prepare an appeal.)

The Friends of Nativity have proposed a Dorothy Day Shrine and retreat center with services for the homeless at 44 Second Ave. Read more about that proposal here. (The space in front of the now-closed church has been a spot for the homeless of late.)

There has been speculation that the block from the church to Second Street will eventually yield to a luxury retail-residential complex...


[EVG file photo]

Developer Douglas Steiner bought the Mary Help of Christians property, including the church, school and rectory, from the Archdiocese for $41 million in 2012 to create his Steiner East Village on Avenue A between 11th Street and 12th Street.

The first Nativity church, located at 48 Second Ave., was built in 1832. This building was demolished in 1970 after a fire. It was rebuilt by parishioners at 44 Second Ave.

Previously on EV Grieve:
As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure

Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

Wednesday's parting shot

Spotted outside the former Church of the Nativity on Second Avenue between Second Street and Third Street...

As the Church of the Nativity closes for good tonight, take a look at the original structure

As previously reported, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York is closing the Church of the Nativity at 44 Second Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street.

The final mass is tonight at 7.



On this occasion, volunteers posted a photo of the the original Church of the Nativity building. Via Facebook yesterday:

The first church, located at 48 Second Avenue, was built in 1832 as the Second Avenue Presbyterian Church. In 1842 it was sold to the newly formed Nativity Parish. This building was demolished in 1970 after a fire. It was rebuilt by hardworking parishioners — hence the new, smaller church built with cinder blocks now located at 44 Second Avenue.

The Church of the Nativity is merging with Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B. In total, as amNY reported: "New York City's 112 parishes will be consolidated into just 55 new parishes due to 'changing demographics' and a shortage of priests available to say mass."

Last Sunday mass at the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

Via the EVG inbox…

Sunday July 26, 2015 marks the last Sunday mass at the Church of the Nativity. Parishioners will broadcast the service live via Periscope (@NativityNYC) from the 10:15 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. masses.

The Archdiocese of New York has denied Nativity parishioners the chance to appeal saying parishioners didn't meet the 10-day deadline after the November 2, 2014 announcement. Parishioners say they didn't know of the deadline and weren't allowed to see their decree (official document with information on the closure) until December 22, 2014.

Parishioners are now asking the archdiocese for a shrine or chapel in honor of Dorothy Day, a former parishioner who's on the road to sainthood. Day is also the co-founder of The Catholic Worker. They submitted an official request to the archdiocese two weeks ago.

Read more about the Nativity's request for a shrine for Dorothy Day in the Times here and The Wall Street Journal here.

As part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York's massive reorganization, the Church of the Nativity is merging with Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The Church of the Nativity is located at 44 Second Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street. Church supporters think the property will be sold, "since it is in a prime spot at Second Avenue and Second Street that is attracting more affluent neighbors," per the Times.

The final mass will take place on Friday at 7 p.m.

Remembering Dorothy Day, with a call for a shrine in her honor on 2nd Avenue

Tonight at 6, the Church of the Nativity is holding a special mass in honor of Dorothy Day at 44 Second Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street.

Day was a journalist and social and political activist in the Lower East Side where she worked with the poor and founded The Catholic Worker. Today the Church refers to her as a "Servant of God" as the canonization process has begun.

Day's granddaughter, Martha Hennessey, will share readings from Dorothy's writings throughout the service. She will also talk about the parish's request for a Dorothy Day shrine after the mass, outside of the church.

The Church of the Nativity is slated close Aug. 1. After months of fighting the archdiocese for a chance to appeal, parishioners are now asking the Archdiocese to build a shrine for Dorothy Day within Nativity, or to build a chapel/retreat center within the new building should the church be demolished. Nativity was the parish of Dorothy Day.

The New York Times has more on this in an article from Monday titled Invoking the Radical Spirit of Dorothy Day to Fight a Church Closing.

The expected closure comes amidst a massive reorganization of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.

Under the plan, the church, founded in 1832, would merge with Most Holy Redeemer on East Third Street between Avenue A and Avenue B.

The conventional wisdom is that the Archdiocese will sell the property for retail-residential development.

One passer-by told the Times: "If you ask me, I think they’re trying to close it to make a high-rise condo so they can bring more money to the neighborhood."

And we've heard from people who figure the block from the church to East Second Street will eventually all be luxury housing…



As for Dorothy Day, here's more from here granddaughter in the Times:

Ms. Hennessy, who lives nearby at the Catholic Worker’s Maryhouse when she is in New York, said she felt “a disconnect” between the drive to canonize her grandmother and the decision to close her church. She said she hoped a way could be found to honor Day and her legacy, perhaps using the vacant rectory building, if not the church itself.

"In the East Village, with all the affluence, the party atmosphere and the materialism, we still have poverty," Ms. Hennessy said. "They are doing their best to hide it, but if there was a shrine dedicated to the history of her work, that might be more helpful. It would raise the question of economic refugees."

Previously on EV Grieve:
Parishioners fight to save the Church of the Nativity on 2nd Avenue

The Church of the Nativity is holding another clothing distribution today for displaced residents

[Photo from March by Stacie Joy]

From the EVG inbox...

Parishioners from the Church of the Nativity will be holding another clothing distribution for residents who lost their homes after the East Village Explosion.

After stopping by the clothing drive in April, a resident suggested that Nativity distribute the clothes again one month later the collapse — hoping that displaced residents would later be more situated.

If you know displaced tenants who lost their home in the East Village Explosion, please let them know about the distribution:

WHAT: Distribution of Clothes & Goods for East Village Displaced Residents

WHERE: Church of the Nativity. 44 Second Avenue between 2nd & 3rd Streets

WHEN: Friday, May 1, 4 PM - 7 PM

*Please note: We are NOT accepting anymore donations.*

The Church of the Nativity's last distribution was on April 1.

The Church of the Nativity is distributing clothes and other items to displaced residents today

Story and photos by Stacie Joy

Today from noon to 4:30 pm., parishioners from the Church of the Nativity, 44 Second Ave. between East Second Street and East Third Street, will be distributing donations to displaced residents from last week's explosion.

I stopped by last night to see what was needed and how the community could help.

There were many tables and bags loaded with towels, sheets, bedding, clothing (men’s, women’s and kid’s, even some baby stuff), toiletries, food (nonperishable), and home goods all being sorted, folded and prepared to be distributed to those residents who lost everything in the recent fire and collapse. (All leftover items will go to the Catholic Worker, as the Red Cross and GOLES are no longer accepting donations.)


[Parishioner Benjamin Rodriguez]





Parishioner and event organizer Mercedes Sanchez explained that there will be people on site today to assist in both Spanish and English, but that they could use a few more volunteers between noon and 4 p.m. (She asks that you email her here if you can lend a hand.)

One of the church’s parishioners, Mildred Guy, lost her home of more than 45 years in the blast. She was at work at The Neighborhood School at the time.

She described a tight-knit group of tenants, with only eight units in her building at 45 E. Seventh St. The residents bonded at her apartment after Superstorm Sandy when they used her landline, the last one in the building, to communicate with loved ones.



She expressed concern over how her fellow tenants are coping with the disastrous events, though she was feeling blessed that she survived, thinking about how much worse it could have been had the explosion occurred when more people were at home.

She told me about the difficulties she and others are having with filling out forms, as HPD (Housing Preservation and Development) and DHCR (Division of Housing and Community Renewal) are requiring paperwork that few people can produce after the devastating fire.

When asked what her most pressing need was, she indicated housing — long-term housing. The apartments she was shown away from the neighborhood far exceeded her previous rent, and the units were much smaller. Her family has lived in the East Village since she moved here from Puerto Rico as a child. At 62, she said she was too young to qualify for senior assistance (SCREE), which becomes available at age 65.

She is currently staying in a hotel provided to her by the Red Cross, and explained that her son, his wife, and their baby only recently moved out of the apartment to start a new job in Albany.

While still processing her own grief, she spoke about gratitude, condolences, and how she is trying to remain busy and active so she doesn’t have to think too much about all that’s lost.

Mildred's son, Branden, established a GoFundMe page to help her with expenses.