A More-Than-Century Old Boerum Hill Church Will Soon Be Demolished
A Boerum Hill church established in 1866 will be bulldozed this fall, following three years of community organizers’ efforts to thwart developers from demolishing the over century-old Brooklyn landmark. The Wall Street Journal reports that the Church of the Redeemer, which was sold to real estate developer the Jackson Group last year for $20 million, is primed for razing, as per a recently discovered sign posted outside the church.
The Harlem-based Demolition Depot has been contracted to auction off some of the church’s historic remnants after demolition, such as stained glass windows and hand-cut stone artifacts, in addition to the building’s light fixtures and parts of the ceiling, according to the Journal.
Plans to demolish the church, which has served as a communal mainstay for Brooklyn’s immigrant communities since the late 19th century, were announced in 2012. The community has long speculated that high-rise condos would be erected in the building’s place, and church officials have noted that the building is in need of structural repairs that far exceed operating budgets.
Bishop Lawrence Provenzano told the Journal that he “ordered the church closed for life-safety issues.”
The Jackson Group hasn’t made an announcement regarding their plans for the site, but given its portfolio of retail centers and condominium developments, it seems likely that Church of the Redeemer might become a combination condo-shopping center sometime next year. Cool.
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