De-What? 12 Churches From Harlem To Highbridge Are De-consecrated For Sale

August 9, 2017

NY Curbed reports that the Catholic church has deconsecrated 12 churches in Manhattan and The Bronx, paving the way for their repurposing or sale.

NY Catholic Priest Arrested For Abusing Minors In HarlemA Catholic priest in Harlem, NY was charged in Charleston on Thursday for allegedly sexually abusing…Jun 2 2017harlemworldmag.com

Deconsecrating a church means the building can then be used for secular purposes, but just how the newly unholy buildings will be used is left to the parishes, who own the individual properties. However, the archdiocese could tax the income of a sale to fund operations within other parts of the diocese, the New York Times says. DNAinfo first reported the action.

Harlem Churches, A Chance For Landmark DesignationA number of religious institutions were considered for landmark designation at a public hearing held…Nov 17 2015harlemworldmag.com

“Will some of them be sold? I imagine so,” Joseph Zwilling, director of communications for the archdiocese, told the New York Times. “Will some of them be leased? I imagine so.”

And in New York City there’s a precedent for just that. The East Village’s Mary Help of Christians was sold to developer Douglas Steiner in 2012 and has since been demolished and replaced with pricey condos. Our Lady of Vilnius, at the mouth of the Holland Tunnel, was shuttered by the archdiocese in 2007 amid structural issues. Developer Extell purchased the property in 2014 for $13 million, and promptly flipped it for $18.4 million. The sale of a neighboring lot allowed Renzo Piano’s 565 Broome Soho, where condos start at just under $1 million, to rise.

Harlem Church Vandalized With Graffiti Message: ‘You Must Pay! Allah! Wake Up!’The NYDaily News reports that someone left some scary graffiti on a Harlem church Wednesday, police …Jul 28 2016harlemworldmag.com

Most of the twelve newly deconsecrated churches throughout Manhattan and The Bronx have been shuttered since 2015, when the Catholic church finished a major restructuring that resulted in the merging of more than 140 parishes and closing of about 40 churches. The June 30th, 2017 decree to deconsecrate means that “negotiations that may lead to the sale of the property” can commence.

Only one of the deconsecrated churches is a New York City landmark, which will restrict changes made to the property: Harlem’s All Saints Church at 47 East 129th Street. The remaining deconsecrated churches throughout Harlem are as follows:

Six other churches outside of New York City were also deconsecrated in late June. See the full list here.

Photo via source.


By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: Harlem World Magazine, 2521 1/2 west 42nd street, Los Angeles, CA, 90008, https://www.harlemworldmagazine.com. You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact
We're your source for local coverage, we count on your support. SPONSOR US!
Your support is crucial in maintaining a healthy democracy and quality journalism. With your contribution, we can continue to provide engaging news and free access to all.
accepted credit cards

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Related Articles