So Who Represents Us?

Photo from Bay Ridge Rover

Letter from Martin Golden to a member of the Committee:

Dear Mr. Hilton:

I am writing to you in regards to the e-mail you sent Senator Golden about the United Methodist Church.

For the last several years, Senator Golden has been in contact with the parishioners and the Pastor of the United Methodist Church in regards to the sale of the property.

Originally, we did discuss landmarking this property. Unfortunately, this was not an option for the Church.

The upkeep for the church and the repairs to the damages that have all ready been done would cost $5 million plus dollars. Even plans to build housing around the church would not bring in enough money to take care of the building.

It would take 15-plus years to completely repair the current damages within the building, not including whatever comes up in those 15 years.

As sad as it is to say good-bye to the Green Church, that property belongs to the Church and the parishioners. We can not tell them what to do with their property. We can encourage them to seek certain buyers, like we did with the Alpine theater, but they can choose to do as they want with it.

The parishioners ultimately have the choice of what to do with this property. They are very passionate about the fact that their Church should not be represented by a building.

Our office will definitely stay in touch with the Church to keep up with the sale and what kind of building will be there.

The Church will continue to serve our community and probably do more for it based on the fact that all of their funding will not go to fixing a building that is slowly crumbling.

If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

Thank you very much.

Kate Carberry/ Director of Community Affairs
State Senator Martin J. Golden
7408 Fifth Avenue/Brooklyn, NY 11209
(718) 238-6044/ (718) 238-6170 fax
mailto:Carberry@senate.%20state.ny.%20us

Joe Butler, a member of the Committee, comments "Who does Senator Golden represent, the Church, the non-taxpayer, or the taxpayers of his district, who rightly believe the church to be an integral part of their community?"

The Names We Know

The following are the names of fifteen of the 211 former congregants of the Bay Ridge United Methodist Church (formerly the Methodist Episcopal Church of New Utrecht) whose remains are in the vault located in front of the church facing Fourth Avenue. The names were obtained from the Brooklyn Historical Society by Kathy Walker, a member of the Committee.

1. Adrian Bogeart (a founder of the Methodist Episcopal Church of New Utrecht), died October 6th, 1849, aged 79;


2. Hannah Bogeart, wife of Abraham, died July 30th, 1842, aged 29 years, 7 months, 9 days;


3. Margaret Bogeart, daughter of Abraham and Hannah, died March 30, 1843, aged 4 years, 9 months, 1 day;


4. Aby Frances Brewster, wife of Henry Van Pelt, died October 14th, 1851, aged 28 years, 4 months, 5 days;


5. Abraham Degroff, born March 9th, 1825, died November 6th, 1857, aged 31 years, 8 months;


6. Isaac Degroff, died December 14th, 1854, aged 43 years, 3 months, 1 day;


7. Susan Byard, died August 19th, 1832, aged 17;


8. Sarah Stillwell, wife of Elias Stillwell, died January 7th, 1842, aged 32 years, 6 months;


9. Henry C. VanPelt, born December 28th, 1799, died July 24th, 1856, aged 57 years, 6 months, 25 days;


10. James VanPelt, son of Henry C. and Sarah, died September 17th, 1844, aged 1 year, 1 month, 10 days;


11. Menshi Jane VanPelt, daughter of Henry C. and Sarah, died August 7th, 1843, aged 2 years, 4 months, 7 days;


12. William VanPelt, son of Henry C. and Sarah, died June 13th, 1832, aged 12 years, 6 days;


13. Susan Ann VanPelt, daugher of Henry C. and Sarah, died August 2nd, 1843, aged 7 years, 9 months;


14. Ann Amelia VanPelt, daughter of Tunis and Emeline VanPelt, died September 23rd, 1848, aged 7 years, 3 months, 8 days;


15. Sarah Williams, died August 7th, 1849, aged 78.

The First Methodist Congregation in Brooklyn

From a report prepared by New York City historian Andrew Dolkart for the National Register of Historic Places:

Methodist services were first held in the town of New Utrecht in 1794, at the home of Adrian Bogeart. In 1822, a Methodist church was organized, which became known, in 1830, as the Methodist Episcopal Church of the Town of New Utrecht, the second church established in the town of New Utrecht, the first being the Dutch Reformed Church.

The first church building was a "modest frame structure" at the corner of 6th Avenue and 67th Street, which was destroyed by fire in 1848. Within a year, the congregation had built a new church at 6th Avenue and 76th Street, which they used until 1875, when they acquired the present site at Ovington Avenue and Fourth and built the "Green Church" in 1899.

In 1942, the name of the church was changed to "Bay Ridge United Methodist".

The Culmination of a Lot of Issues

From Left in Bay Ridge:

"It feels as if developers are coming in here with no regard for the community, for the aesthetics of the community, or for the community's infrastructure.

We're being lied to and trampled on.

I think the Green Church is the culmination of a lot of issues...

If The Ridge adds -- or what it feels like to me -- if The Ridge has thrust upon it fifty condos in place of the Church, and a seven-story condo complex in place of a funeral home, who's going to come in and build new schools?

Our schools are already overcrowded...

Who's going to come in and alleviate the new traffic problems?

The new parking problems?

The list goes on and on."


More on overcrowded Brooklyn schools, from Gowanus Lounge:
http://www.gowanuslounge.com/2008/05/20/brooklyn-school-crowding-disaster-in-the-making/

The Bay Ridge Free Library

From the New York Times:

http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?_r=1&res=9806EED71730E033A25756C0A9619C94679ED7CF&oref=slogin

It's now part of the New York City Public Library:

Bay Ridge Branch
7223 Ridge Blvd. at 73rd St.
Brooklyn, NY 11209
Tel. 718-748-5709

Peter Scarpa's History of Bay Ridge

"...After more than three centuries and much physical change, Bay Ridge still retains the spirit of its early Dutch burghers and remains a community of civic-minded and concerned citizens. Bay Ridgeites have always had a reverence for the past, and pride in our heritage. Local history, as well, has instilled a community pride that insures its preservation..."

http://bayridge.net/community/history.htm

A preview of A History of Bay Ridge, by Peter Scarpa, Lawrence Stetler and Peter Srydahl, including many photos of Bay Ridge from the 19th Century, is available on Google Books:

http://books.google.com/books?id=AkemdbpP__wC&printsec=frontcover&dq=peter+scarpa&sig=iXIDJ7sA_kiMoZr0GlMM3g0g6Ss

Market Rate or Mission

"We try to make them more aware of the value of the land. In most cases the churches which are approached [by developers] do not appreciate the true value."


More from City Limits:

http://www.citylimits.org/content/articles/viewarticle.cfm?article_id=3514

Where the Landmarks Are

Five-boro map of landmarks and landmark districts:

http://www.mas.org//images/media/original/council_landmarks2.pdf

Lost City Nails It

"The Nature of New York Is Change"

"This phrase needs to be retired for good...It is a gigantic and insulting shrug that shows you don't care a whit for the City, and aren't willing to lift a finger on its behalf. You've got a proposal to change some part of New York? Fine. Change is welcome here. We're all about change. But tell us why your change is good, why it will profit the City (and not just you). Don't just tell us it is good because it is change."

Community Board 10

The community board is an advisory body appointed by the borough president:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/cau/html/cb/main.shtml

Our Community Board, for Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and Fort Hamilton, is
Brooklyn Community Board 10
621 86th Street,Brooklyn, NY 11209
Phone: 718.745.6827
Fax: 718.836.2447
E-mail: communitybd10@nyc.rr.com
(no Website)
Chair: Dean Rasinya
District Manager: Josephine Beckmann
Board Meeting: Third Monday (except June and July)
Cabinet Meeting: Fourth Tuesday (every other month)

Community Board 10 has a historic preservation committee, however, the word is that the committee is not interested in the "Green Church" issue. It is not known why.

Who Was Wronged?

8 February 2008

Letters to the Editor

Mr. Kenneth Brown
Editor, Bay Ridge Courier

Dear Sir:

Of the many facts which have been lost in the controversy over the proposed demolition of the Bay Ridge United Methodist church (news article, January 24, “Landmarking efforts cast in devilish light”) there are three which are particularly salient and need to be stressed.

One, the current plan calls for the total demolition of three structures – the church sanctuary, the church parish house, and the parsonage. The latter two of these structures are demonstrably not “falling down” or “falling apart” and no one has claimed they are. The parsonage, which is a limestone row house - and not part of the church’s original property, but which sits on its own separate block and lot - does not need to be or deserve to be demolished.

Two, the total demolition of these structures will cause harm and damage - now and in the future - to the buildings on Ovington Avenue, 4th Avenue, and 72nd Street which are closest to the church. Those buildings house the neighbors of the church. The quality of life of the church’s neighbors will be harmed now and in the future – permanently.

Three, as a consequence of these two facts, it is not merely a small band of “preservationists” or “community activists” who are opposed to the current total demolition, but the overwhelming majority of the church’s neighbors – including two of the church’s current members, who have been ignored.

Indeed, the closer those neighbors live to the church the more opposed they are to the total demolition plan of these three structures, precisely because they stand to lose so much.

The current pastor of the church objects to the efforts of Councilman Gentile and Assemblywoman Hyer-Spencer to secure a public hearing at which these and other relevant facts will come to light, saying that “None of this action was taken in consultation with us.”

However, none of the actions leading to the total demolition plan or the decision to pursue the plan itself were made in consultation with the church’s own neighbors. Indeed, the church’s neighbors were never informed of the plan by the church itself. Most of them have only learned about it by word of mouth.

The current pastor also objects to the efforts of the Councilman and Assemblywoman, saying that “we are fed up and we are not to be disregarded like that.” However, if any group of people has been disregarded so far, it is precisely the church’s own neighbors. They are the ones who should be fed up.

Jesus taught us to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” and to “love thy neighbor.” He did not teach us that it was alright to “do unto others as you wish” or “ignore thy neighbor.” One wonders which Bible some people are reading from.

Considering the damage and harm that the neighbors of the church stand to suffer from the current total demolition plan, one is led to ask which is really devilish: attempting to save the neighbors of the church from harm, or pursuing a plan which will harm them?

Very truly yours,

Christopher Ikaris

N.B.: I am both a former congregant of the church and one of its current neighbors.