Robert Emerick is quoted in a Brooklyn Eagle article this week as saying “We’re still moving ahead with our plans with the developer.”According to Lois Habenicht, secretary of the board of directors, “[The congregation is] waiting for the closing date, which has been delayed, so we can move forward with our plans.”
According to the Eagle, Assemblywoman Janele Hyer-Spencer is considering the possibility of applying for an injunction to halt the demolition of the church.
On Tuesday, workmen told local residents they were disconnecting the gas lines to the church.
According to one rumor, the Sunday school will be demolished first. (According to another, Abe Betesh, holder of the contract of sale, plans to utilize the Sunday school, the three-story brown brick structure in the center of the block recently vacated by HeartShare Human Services.)
The three-story brownstone on Ovington that once served as the church parsonage stands empty. (Reverend Emerick is rumored to be living in a newly-purchased house on Mackay Place.)
A monument, dedicated to the 211 souls whose remains were dug up and moved to Cypress Hills two months ago, was recently removed from the front lawn of the church.
The congregation has moved its records to the nearby Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, where they now hold ecumenical services. “They welcomed us with open arms.” said Habenicht. Good Shepherd will be the congregation's home until at least early 2010, when they hope to have a new church built.
In May, when the church was slated to be demolished, congregation members say they held a private session to “re-envision” the site.
The Committee to Save the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church hopes to see the church, with its 650-seat auditorium and excellent acoustics, re-dedicated as the Bay Ridge Performing Arts Center, a permanent home for Bay Ridge's music, theatre and cultural organizations, many of which have no space of their own.
“Councilman Gentile asked us to give him some time,” said Habenicht. “We said, if you can come up with some money and subsidies, please let us know. But look at the church and its condition.”
The Brooklyn Preservation Council (BPC), founded this spring, has placed the church building on its list of Brooklyn sites worthy of preservation.
The story from the Brooklyn Eagle:
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/categories/category.php?category_id=31&id=22020
Postscript:
Committee members who monitor the city Department of Buildings database report that the congregation has filed applications for "new building construction at 7002 4th Avenue" -- the 4th Avenue address of the Green Church -- and a "sidewalk shed".
According to Committee sources, neither application has been approved -- to date.
