As the linked 2003 Gotham Gazette article confirms, the battle for the Green Church is merely the latest reading of an old and well-rehearsed script that has preservationists and religious intitutions in New York City making the same arguments that now fuel the controversy over the fate of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church.Religious institutions own some of the oldest and most significant buildings in the city, often designed by the most prominent architects of the time, their interiors decorated with rare craftsmanship and materials. They deserve to be saved, say preservationists. "Our religious institutions are treasures," said Robert Tierney, chair of the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. "Historically, architecturally, and culturally..."
Historic preservation battles in New York City have, time and again, involved preservationists arguing that houses of worship are historic treasures that belong to the city and must be saved for future generations, and religious institutions arguing that historic preservation is a hardship -- that if they spend all their money maintaining a historic building, there will be nothing left for their mission.
In 1918, St. John's Chapel on Varick Street in lower Manhattan was demolished over the opposition of Theodore Roosevelt, Mayor George McClellan and banker J.P. Morgan. The rector of Trinity Church, which owned the property, said that "to care for ancient monuments of civic interest" was not the church's primary responsibility.
For the next five decades, historic buildings, including houses of worship, were demolished wholesale to make way for new construction.
In 1963, Mayor Robert Wagner, in the aftermath of the demolition of Pennsylvania Station, established the Landmarks Preservation Commission and charged the agency with protecting sites and buildings in New York City that hold "special character or special historical or aesthetic interest". As of 2003, when the linked article was written, the LPC had designated over 1,200 sites and 79 historic districts in the city.
Landmark status imposes additional responsibilities on building owners, who must get LPC approval before doing construction or repairs. That is why some religious groups oppose - or are wary of -- landmark status.
Some religious leaders see historic preservation - as practiced under New York City law - as a violation of basic religious freedoms. One of the most famous conflicts between preservationists and religious leaders in the city's history was fought over St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church on 51st Street and Park Avenue.
In 1980, the church wanted to demolish its community house and put up a 59-story office tower. Neighbors and preservationists strongly opposed the plan -- and the LPC blocked it. The church sued the city on First Amendment grounds. The legal battle continued until 1991, when the city won in the U.S. Supreme Court.
Religious institutions argue that designating houses of worship as landmarks over their objections interferes with their mission and their finances. "Every dollar that comes into a church is for the purpose of ministry," said Reverend N. J. L'Heureux, chairman of a lobbying group that opposes landmarking houses of workship.
During the 1989 City Charter revision, L'Heureux's group, the Interfaith Commission on Landmarking of Religious Property, got an amendment on the ballot that would have created an independent tribunal to which religious institutions could appeal from LPC decisions. The group also lobbied -- unsuccessfully -- for an amendment to state law mandating the consent of religious leaders before a house of worship could be landmarked. In 1997, the group opposed a bill introduced in the City Council that would have imposed fines for failure to repair landmarked buildings.
"...[L]andmark status is one of the biggest threats to religious congregations," said L'Heureux. Preservationists have countered that religion is not an excuse to disobey the law.
Battles over church-state land use issues reach to the highest levels of government. In 1993, Congress passed a law -- later declared unconstitutional -- exempting religious institutions from certain land-use rules that might infringe upon religious freedoms.
Most New York City congregations are concerned about recent demographic changes that threaten their survival. Church membership is declining, neighborhoods are in transition, and mainline denominations are shrinking. Understandably, many congregations are looking for new ways to generate money.
"We identified it as a crisis 25 years ago" said Anne Friedman of the New York Landmarks Conservancy, which offers financial and consulting services to help preserve historic sites. "[W]e will continue to see increasing development pressure on or near historic religious properties."
For instance, when West-Park Presbyterian, a 100-member congregation on 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue, learned that it would cost up to $8 million for repairs, the congregation decided to look into selling the property to developers who would demolish it and replace it with an apartment building. "When you are looking at repairs...that large, you're faced with serious questions," said Reverend Robert Brashear.
But religious institutions can get help from grant and loan programs, and many congregations also qualify for zoning exemptions based on their not-for-profit status. The city's landmark law also includes a "hardship" provision allowing religious institutions to appeal from LPC decisions, but "hardship" is often read as "negative cost-benefit".
What is historically significant, and who gets to decide, has caused fights between houses of worship and their neighbors. On West 70th Street and Central Park West, the city's oldest Jewish congregation, Shearith Israel wanted to tear down its community center and put up a 14-story building, including 10 floors of apartments. Famous neighbors like ABC news anchor Peter Jennings and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Robert Caro opposed the plan, saying that it would ruin the character of the neighborhood.
Urban churches offer many community services - including soup kitchens, homeless shelters, schools, senior citizen centers and day care. The nonprofit group Partners for Sacred Sites found that 90% of urban churches provide social services, many to non-congregation members. Preservationists argue that this gives local government a role in ensuring their continued existence. "These buildings are centers for the community and belong to all the people," said Simeon Bankoff of the Historic Districts Council.
Religious leaders contend, nevertheless, that historic preservation threatens their mission. In Flushing, the Bowne Street Community Church divided over an effort to landmark the building, with one member of the church's governing board saying, "The mission of the church is not to maintain historic landmarks, and this is forcing it on us by law."
With religious institutions, neighborhood groups, historic preservation advocates and developers all advocating their own interests, elected officials are forced to weigh in - and historic preservation becomes a political battle.
In the case of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, landmark designation coincided with the church's plan to lease a portion of the 11-acre grounds to Columbia University and build two buildings, one 20 stories tall, on the property. The LPC allowed for this by designating only the cathedral itself.
But critics said the city failed to recognize the historic importance of the church grounds. "There is a history of overlooking...important buildings in Harlem," said Maritta Dunn of the Harlem Valley Heights Community Development Corporation.
The City Council rejected the landmark designation of St. John the Divine, Mayor Bloomberg vetoed the council's decision and the council overrode the mayor's veto. After years of negotiation and debate, the landmark process failed.
"Preservation should not be political," said City Councilmember Simcha Felder. "Landmark status should be a more pure, 'holy' process, but that's not the way it always turns out."
Prediction: a "pure and holy" process it will never be.
Link to the Gotham Gazette article:
http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/issueoftheweek/20031215/200/804
