Gerardo Guerrero Preservation and Adaptive Reuse of East Williamsburg Churches East Williamsburg current Roman Catholic church inventory is comprised of three churches St. Francis, St. Cecilia, and St. Nicholas, all of them under the Divine Mercy parish. St. Nicholas Church is the oldest of all the three churches and was founded in 1865 by Rev. Monsignor Michael May.1 Built for the German Catholic community settled in the neighborhood and designed by Arch. William Schiekel; one of the most prominent architects for his religious and institutional work in the late 19th century in New York City. St. Nicholas church was designed in Gothic Revival style and its construction started in 1885, but the cornerstone was laid in 1886 and it was completed until 1895.2 In an effort to create more affordable housing, along with preserving and transforming East Williamsburg’s churches, this proposal includes several modifications for the Divine Mercy. These adjustments would call for “large site development”, connected with air rights (TDR) and mandatory inclusionary housing (MIH), around the new plaza, to create additional and more profitable affordable housing. Finally, all of these would be impossible without St. Nicholas eligibility to register in the National Register of Historic Places, so the Divine Mercy parish can use tax credits in order to make all of these changes. Contents: 1. Divine Mercy Church Inventory I. St. Cecilia’s Church History II. St. Cecilia’s Cluster Church III. St. Cecilia’s Images IV. St. Francis of Paola Church History V. St. Francis of Paola Church Cluster VI. St. Francis of Paola Images VII. St. Nicholas Church History VIII. St. Nicholas Church Cluster IX. St. Nicholas Church Images 2. Proposal
•
See Annex for National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for St. Nicholas Church.
1
“The Catholic church in the United States of America, undertaken to celebrate the golden jubilee of His Holiness, Pope Pius X.” New York, The Catholic editing Co., 1912. 2 Ibid.
St. Cecilia’s Church3 St. Cecilia’s Church was founded in 1871 by the many Irish immigrants who settled in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. It goes without saying that the Irish have had a lasting impact upon the character of the city and most especially the Catholic Church in New York City since their arrival in great numbers during the mid-19th century particularly after the years of the ‘Potato Famine’ (1845-1849). New York City still has the largest percentage of Irish of any city in America and five of the seven Bishops of Brooklyn have been of Irish decent. The founding of the parish of St. Cecilia was made to the Diocese of Brooklyn at the request of several families in the neighborhood of the present church. Rev. John McDonald, Pastor, of Immaculate Conception on Leonard and Maujer Streets was named the first pastor. A house was purchased on Herbert Street, midway between North Henry and Monitor Streets. A shed on the premises was annexed to this modest dwelling and the combined buildings served as St. Cecilia’s earliest Church. Here the Holy Sacrifice was first offered on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th, 1870. In November of 1871, Bishop Charles Loughlin, the First Bishop of Brooklyn, laid the corner stone of the first church building. During these early years the St. Cecilia’s Church was served by the priests of St. Mary’s on Maujer Street. In 1874, the first resident pastor, Rev. Florence McCarthy was assigned to St. Cecilia’s Church. Fr. Michael Malone became acting pastor of St. Cecilia’s in 1884 and continued in that capacity until November of 1888 when failing health necessitated his retirement. Without a doubt the most consequential appointment of any priest to serve in the nearly 150 years of St. Cecilia’s existence was the appointment of Rev. Edward J. McGoldrick as pastor on November 9th, 1888. His buoyant and strong personality saw to completion the present-day Church of St. Cecilia which certainly numbers amongst the most distinguished of any church in Brooklyn—known as the Borough of Churches. Father McGoldrick hired the architect Thomas H. Poole who designed a church in the Romanesque Basilica style and the firm Byrne and Perry were the builders. The corner stone was laid by Bishop Charles Loughlin on September 27th, 1891 and the firm of Byrne and Perry were contracted to complete the structure. Of particular note is the white marble blocks used in construction of the main church and on the rectory. They are of Georgian Marble and it is believed that they were originally intended for St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Manhattan. As the color was not quite the right match—the material sat in a warehouse for many decades before Rev. McGoldrick obtained it for his construction. It is believed that the statues of Saint Mary and Joseph which flank the main altar and the stained glass were designed by Joseph Siebel. Also worthy of mention is the main or high altar which is behind the present-day Post Vatican II altar used on Sunday’s. It is constructed of Caen marble and extremely rare and expensive material that was considered highly experimental at the time of construction. The congregation had around 13,000 members in 1914, but over the past 30 years, the church has welcomed many diverse ethnic groups and enjoys a large Spanish speaking community. Today, this is the only church that does masses in Spanish every Sunday.
3
“Parish History,” Divine Mercy (blog), accessed December 13, 2018, https://divinemercy-brooklyn.org/parish-history/.
St. Cecilia’s Church Cluster
St. Cecilia’s Church Chart #
Former Use
Current Use
Address
Owner
Lot Area SF
1
Church
Church
70 Herbert St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church
27500.00
2
Rectory
Rectory
84 Herbert St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church
2500.00
3
Auditorium & gymnasium
Auditorium & gymnasium?
X Herbert St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church
?
Convent
Market Rate Housing
4 7 5 6
Convent Catholic School 1 & 2 family buildling
Market Rate Housing Market Rate Housing 1 & 2 family buildling
21 Monitor St. 211 Richardson St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church St. Cecilias R.C. Church
5000.00 6400.00
17 Monitor St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church
24500.00
215 Richardson St.
St. Cecilias R.C. Church
1600.00
Zoning Building Class Churches, Synagogues, etc. Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1) Churches, Synagogues, etc. Parsonage, Rectory (M3) Churches, Synagogues, etc. Miscellaneous (M9) R6B
Churches, Synagogues, etc. Convents (M4) Churches, Synagogues, etc. Convents (M4) Educational Structures - Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2) Miscellaneous (B9)
Year Built
Founder's Nationality Architect Style Thomas Romanesque 1891 H. Poole Revival Thomas Romanesque c. 1891 H. Poole Revival ? c. 1891 Irish Catholics ?
? ? ?
c. 1906
?
?
?
Capacity 1400 Seats -
Modern
?
Italianate?
15 Apartments
Romanesque Revival ? Renaissance Revival ? Romanesque Revival ?
69 Apartments
?
?
In 1993 a Brooklyn development firm signed a 49-year lease with the church for converting the former school into 84 residential apartments. The deal also included the adaptive reuse or underutilized buildings into market-rate housing. 17 Monitor St. was converted into 69 residential apartments, with no additions to the building. 21 Monitor St. was converted to a 15unit apartment building. The deal also included 211 Richardson, a two-story building, and 215 Richardson St.4
4
“Developer Inks 49-Year Lease for Greenpoint Catholic School,” The Real Deal New York, June 7, 2013, https://therealdeal.com/2013/06/07/developer-inks-49-year-lease-for-greenpoint-catholic-school- conversion/.
St. Cecilia’s Church Images
St. Cecilia’s Main Church - 2018 Photo by Gerardo Guerrero
St. Cecilia’s Rectory - 2018 Photo by Gerardo Guerrero
St. Cecilia’s Old Historical Photo Date and source unknown.
St. Francis of Paola Church5 St. Francis of Paola is the ‘youngest’ of the churches that comprise Divine Mercy Parish. The parish was founded in 1918. Although the church is the most recent of the three in Divine Mercy Parish, the history of the land upon which it is built has the oldest documented history. The Dutch first arrived in present day New York City in 1609. In 1640 Peter Stuyvesant, acting for the Dutch government, was appointed the first governor of the City of New Amsterdam— later called New York when the British took control in 1665. The area surrounding the presentday church was considered the heart of Dutch Brooklyn. Peter Stuyvesant is said to have lived on present day Humboldt Street and he oversaw the construction of a wall to protect the Dutch colonists in the village from raids by local native Indians. Remnants of this wall were still standing on church property as recently as the 1920’s and the stones of Dutch structures— which included a wooden church—can still be found in the basement of 206 Skillman Avenue. On the site of the present-day St. Francis of Paola Church, a small octagonal church was built on this site by the Dutch followed by a wooden church in 1840. This last structure was known as the ‘Church on the Hill’ by the local community. As the Dutch moved out of the neighborhood this last church fell into disuse. In 1903 the Williamsburg Bridge was first opened. This joining of our neighborhood to Manhattan Island brought many Italian and Jewish immigrants who were formerly living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan to our neighborhood. Their presence in Williamsburg is still felt to this day. At that time, the Lower East Side had the population density and sanitary conditions of Calcutta, India. People were desperate to leave. As the Italian population continued to explode (over 1 million Italians immigrated to the United States in 1906 alone!), it was recognized that the needs of this ever-increasing Catholic population had to be addressed by the diocese. In 1887 the parish of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel was founded, but that soon proved inadequate to the growing needs and the fact that the immigrant Italians were not welcomed in other ethic parishes (German, Irish, Polish, Lithuanian, Czech, etc.). The Second Bishop of Brooklyn Charles McDonnell saw the necessity of another Italian parish and in 1918 purchased the old Dutch “Church on the Hill,” which was then dedicated as an Italian National Parish. This meant that St. Francis of Paola had no specific parish boundaries like other churches. Rather, St. Francis would welcome Italian Catholics who wished to worship in their own language who were not welcome in other Catholic communities. Rev. Leo Arcese was named the first Pastor of St. Francis of Paola. Fr. Arcese also purchased a building on 25 Orient Avenue to serve as rectory and later as convent for the Franciscan Sisters who served and taught in the community. A larger Church was built in 1923 and dedicated by the Third Bishop of Brooklyn Bishop Thomas Molloy. Yet, even this structure was not adequate to the growing community so that finally a third structure—the church that stands today was built and dedicated on April 26th, 1942
5
“Parish History.”
St. Francis of Paola Church Cluster
St. Francis of Paola Church Chart 1
Church
4
Rectory
6
Public School No.23
5 3 2
Church
211 Conselyea St. St. Francis Of Paola RC C
14000.00
Rectory
219 Conselyea St. St. Francis Of Paola RC C
2450.00
Paola School for developmentally 195 Conselyea St. disabled toddlers
St. Francis Of Paola RC C
Educational Structures - Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
47500.00
1923
?
Romanesque?
?
c. 1923
?
Art-Deco?
-
?
Modern
?
?
?
Neo-Classical?
-
c. 1904
?
Italianate?
?
?
?
Art-Deco?
?
c. 1961 Italian Catholics
R6B
Lyceum
?
410 Humboldt St.
St. Francis Of Paola RC C
5350.00
Convent?
Market Rate Housing?
220 Skillman Ave.
St. Francis Of Paola RC C
?
Auditorium
200 Woodpoint Rd.
Auditorium
Churches, Synagogues, etc. Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1) Churches, Synagogues, etc. Parsonage, Rectory (M3)
St. Francis Of Paola RC C
?
Churches, Synagogues, etc. Miscellaneous (M9) ? Churches, Synagogues, etc. Miscellaneous (M9)
St. Francis of Paola Church Images
St. Francis of Paola Main Church - 2018 Photo by Gerardo Guerrero
Bushwick Dutch Reformed Church 1850 Chapel of the Old Bushwick Church and the Old BushNYPL Digital Collections wick Church. New York Tribune - 1904
St. Nicholas Church6 St. Nicholas Church the oldest of the three communities that comprises Divine Mercy Parish and was founded in 1866. In 1865 the Rev. Monsignor Michael May in 1861 had succeeded the venerable pioneer priest Rev. John Raffeiner as Rector of Most Holy Trinity Church on Montrose Ave. Rev. Msgr. May found it necessary to build a church for the German Catholics (about forty families) that had settled in the Old Bushwick Section in what is current day East Williamsburg. The community, founded by German speaking Catholics, were coming to the United States and settling in great numbers during the mid-nineteenth century. The decade of the 1850’s saw over 1 million German speaking people arrive on the shores of the United States. At that time, German was the second language of New York City. The activity of this educated and ambitious class of immigrants permanently changed the character of this area from a charming Dutch farming enclave of “Williamsburgh” to the urbanized and industrialized “Williamsburg” of the Germans. The oldest building in Divine Mercy Parish is part of the St. Nicholas worship site. This is the St. Nicholas ‘old school building’ found on the corner of Olive and Powers. It was a multipurpose structure that served as the first church, rectory, convent and school. Eventually, the community outgrew the multi-purpose structure and it was realized that the community would have sufficient support to build a more worthy and lasting structure. The present Gothic Revival Church and adjoining rectory was designed by the well-known architect William Schiekel and constructed in 1886. In 1867 a community of the Third Order of Dominic religious sisters came to Williamsburg to take charge of instructing the girls in the parish school. During these early years the parish also hosted a community of cloistered sisters but after a few years, it was realized that their cloistered way of life was inadequate in addressing the needs of the flood of immigrants arriving in New York. And so, their charism was changed from a contemplative to active ministry. The upper chapel above the sanctuary area of St. Nicholas Church is a reminder of the many Dominican Sisters that actively served this parish as teachers in the school up until very recently (2012). During the 20th Century new waves of immigration changed the ethnic character of the neighborhood as Italians and Poles came to the area around St. Nicholas. During the 1950’s and 60’s Spanish speaking immigrants from Puerto Rico began to arrive followed by immigration from the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ecuador and many other countries from the Caribbean and Latin America.
6
“Parish History.”
St. Nicholas Church Cluster
St. Nicholas Church Chart #
Former Use
Current Use
Address
Owner
Lot Area SF
1
Church
Church
38 Olive St.
St. Nicholas RC CH
12500.00
4
Church
School
287 Powers St.
St. Nicholas RC CH
5500.00
3
Rectory
Rectory
26 Olive St.
St. Nicholas RC CH
4500.00
5
School
Queen of the Rosary Catholic Academy
11 Catherine St.
St. Nicholas RC CH
19060.00
2
Convent
Abandoned
312 Devoe St.
St. Nicholas RC CH
6750.00
Zoning Building Class
R6B
Churches, Synagogues, etc. Church, Synagogue, Chapel (M1 Educational Structures - Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2) Churches, Synagogues, etc. Parsonage, Rectory (M3) Educational Structures Miscellaneous (W9) Educational Structures - Parochial School, Yeshiva (W2)
Year Built
Founder's Nationality Architect
1895
William Schiekel
Gothic Revival
1866
?
Romanesque?
c. 1895
William Schiekel
Gothic Revival
c. 1969
?
Modern
600 Students
c. 1884
?
Romanesque?
-
German Catholics
Style
Capacity 1000 Seats -
St. Nicholas Church Images
St. Nicholas Church - 2018 Photo by Gerardo Guerrero
Original St. Nicholas Church Google Maps Street View 2018
Proposal The Bushwick Village Junction has also long been a center for religion. The Dutch settlers built the octagonal Old Bushwick Church here, while today the Roman Catholic Church St. Francis of Paola, maintains this religious presence. There are two other Roman Catholic churches in the area which form the Divine Mercy Parish, St. Nicholas and St. Cecilia’s. These three congregations merged into one parish because of waning church attendance, and today some of church buildings and their associated land are becoming surplus. An in-depth analysis of the 3 churches and their property led to the following proposed modifications to the Divine Mercy Parish. These modifications preserve all three church buildings for use by the local community. St. Cecilia’s, at the North, is the largest church and can be preserved as the main church for the Parish. Currently, the church is in good condition an its architectural style, linked with its connection with famous architect Thomas H. Poole, make it worthy of preserving. Additionally, this church has the biggest area (27,550 sq. ft.) and has the biggest seat capacity, with 1,400 seats. Also, the church is located in the limits of East Williamsburg and Greenpoint, which is a great location thanks to its proximity to the BQE and bus station. In conjunction with the proposed Bushwick Village Plaza, the main church building at St. Francis can be converted into community space. Even though the church is still utilized, its interior architectural integrity has been highly modified the last couple of years. Also, the church is neither connected to any famous architect or famous event, and its simple interior with a single nave. But the preservation of the religious land use maybe the most important thing of the site. Today, many of the buildings standing next to the church are not architecturally significant and can be included to the large development site: that would mean being demolished. While the adjacent land, which contains the “Paola School for developmentally disabled toddlers” and a huge parking lot, can be rezoned to allow for affordable housing using city tools such as TDR air rights and mandatory inclusionary housing if needed. The school from St. Francis can be relocated to the currently vacant convent building on the St. Nicholas property.
Name Address Owner Lot Area Year Built Floors Gross Floor Area Land Use Zoning Chart 1.
Paola School for developmentally disabled toddlers 195 Conselyea St. St. Francis of Paola Roman Catholic Church 47,500.00 1961 1
St. Nichola’s Convent 312 Devoe St. Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas 6,750.00 1950 3
12,858.00 Public Facilities and Institutions R6B
20,250.00 Public Facilities and Institutions R6B
Chart 1 demonstrates how St. Nicholas Convent, with its 20,250 sq. ft., is big enough in order to accommodate the school. At the same time, we can see how 195 Conselyea St. has a huge lot area, with 47,500 sq. ft., that makes it perfect for creating housing. Currently, NYC asks for minimum sizes for affordable housing (See Chart 2), which easily can be covered in the school’s lot.
Affordable Housing Minimum Sizes in NYC sq m Studio 400 sq ft 37.2 575 sq ft 53.4 sq m 1 Br 775 sq ft 72 sq m 2 Br 950 sq ft 88.3 sq m 3 Br Total
251
sq m
Chart 2 St Nicholas can also be listed on the National Register (as it is eligible/see annex for National Register of Historic Places Registration Form for St. Nicholas Church) and use available historic preservation tax credits to be adaptively reused for uses such as an industrial trade school or an industrial incubator space. The idea of connecting East Williamsburg’s population with the industrial neighborhood through the school or incubator is only a small effort in order to change the perception of the community about the benefits from having industrial type of jobs near the city. Several other churches in Brooklyn have been converted into market-rate housing, but this is neither a simple transformation or preservation process. However, it is a very lucrative business if its well done. People are very interested in living in 40- and 50-foot ceilings units, in a dramatic character of the building, and having big stained-glass windows. Moreover, converted buildings tend to be popular with buyers. Nonetheless, none of this would align with St. Nick’s values. St. Nicholas Church Name Address Owner Lot Area Year Built Floors Gross Floor Area Land Use Zoning
26 Olive St. Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas 12,500.00 1886 1 9,100.00 Public Facilities and Institutions R6B
Chart 3
Together, these projects advocate for the recognition of social, archeological and religious history. At the same time, they create opportunities for East Williamsburg’s current residents to strengthen neighborhood bonds, celebrate history, and maintain a healthy and affordable environment.