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

At the Church of the Rummage Sales

Arguably one of the most intriguing churches in the neighborhood sits on East Fourth Street near Avenue D. It's currently the San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Catholic Church of the Hispanic Mozarabic Rite.

I don't know much about the building. I've poked around here and there on the Internet for more details. From a post at Slavs of New York:

Few specifics are available about the building’s history, but it was built in 1895 as the first home of the Roman Catholic St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish. When that parish moved uptown to Yorkville, the building became the Russian — Greek Orthodox Chapel of the Holy Trinity serving the Russian and Greek embassies. Later, it became the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Nicholas, which eventually moved to East 97th Sreet.

Today, the building is part of the Western Orthodox Benedictine Friars of the Hispanic Mozarabic Rite, though it still bears the royal seal of the Russian Czars on its façade.

Anyway, it's one of those places that I worry about, as I like to do. There was a small fire at the church in February 2011. (A previous post about the church is here.)

There are no longer any services at the church, which mainly seems to be used for rummage sales. I've bought a few books and records here. A book and record will go for about 60 cents. (I overheard the priest say that they were raising money to start up services again. They will need to sell a lot of books and records... and they will also gladly accept donated clothes and stuff.)

Given all the new construction in the immediate area (here and here and here), you have to wonder how long the church can hold out before a developer comes along.

Which is why a photographer with better skills than mine should go document 117 years of history.

At the San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Catholic Church of the Hispanic Mozarabic Rite

Last Thursday night, a small fire broke out on the third floor of the San Isidoro y San Leandro Church at 345 E. Fourth St. near Avenue D, as DNAinfo reported.

I'm not sure about the extent of the damage. I hope that it's minimal. This is one of those hidden treasures in the neighborhood... I've been meaning to do a little photo essay of the church...

According to the always invaluable New York City Songlines, San Isidoro y San Leandro Western Orthodox Catholic Church of the Hispanic Mozarabic Rite is "named for brothers who were successive bishops in Seville, circa 600 AD. Originally a Russian Orthodox Church, built circa 1895."

And here are some shots from last summer... when the church held a rummage sale...






I bought a few records for like 10 cents each. But you should really take a look inside some time if you have the chance.

Oh, and this isn't the part where I tell you that the church has been sold to developers... Just appreciating it while it's still here... Here's a video tour.

EV Grieve Etc.: Mourning edition

Here comes Walmart, again (Crain's)

An early look at the "New York Dive" documentary (Jeremiah's Vanishing NY)

Saying goodbye to Ruby's (The Brooklyn Paper ... Amusing the Zillion has more coverage. ... ditto for Grub Street)

An Eighth Street video now and then (Flaming Pablum)

Protesting against an NYU tower (Curbed)

About that boyfriend-stealing Lady Gaga (Runnin' Scared)

A drink at Nice Guy Eddie's (Eater)

At the SPURA rally (BoweryBoogie)

EV Lambo's Midtown friend (Stupefaction)

And from [jdx] — extra place, squared

Immaculate renovation

Just an update on the renovations at the Immaculate Conception Church on East 14th Street and First Avenue, which is not being converted into an NYU dorm.

Earlier!




Now!

Seventh Street, 9:36 a.m., Dec. 25

The Times continues to pummel, er, examine the work of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

And now, part three in the paper's series: churches.

Houses of worship are among the most sensitive issues facing the landmarks commission. Mandating that a church be preserved can not only impose a heavy financial burden on a congregation, it also raises the specter of state interference with religious freedom. So the commission has been especially loath to take on churches or synagogues that don’t want to be designated.

According to the article, one of the most striking cases that the commission declined to hear was that of St. Brigid’s on Avenue B at Eighth Street.

Previous Landmark Commission articles here.