10
BCD Special Report on
Historic Churches
17th annual edition
Necessary Protection
or Undue Interference?
Landmark designation and the churches of NewYork
Page Cowley
T
he listing
of a historic place of
worship in the UK is usually considered
a good news story. In contrast, when
historic religious properties in New York
City (the fve boroughs of Manhattan, Bronx,
Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island) are
considered for the US equivalent, landmark
designation, the response of interested
parties is likely to be more discordant.
New York’s Landmarks Preservation
Commission was established in 1965 when
Mayor Robert Wagner signed the local law
which created the commission and gave it
its power. Te enactment of Te Landmarks
Law refected mounting popular pressure to
prevent the loss of important elements of the
city’s built heritage, notably the 1963 demolition
of the vast neoclassical Pennsylvania Station.
Once a landmark has been ‘designated’ any
action taken thereafter must be submitted to
an agency and/or go before a public review
process to determine whether the proposed
action is likely to have an adverse efect.
Tat the seemingly innocuous accolade
of ‘landmark’ should cause alarm is indicative
of the anxiety generated when further
governmental intervention and oversight
of private property is required, especially
when applied to non-proft or religious
institutions. Turning a venerated building
into a landmark is a public process that
often pits advocates for historic preservation
against the potential fnancial opportunity
of building owners or managers.
Tis article considers the key issues
associated with the designation and
preservation of New York City’s historic houses
of worship. While reference is made to other
faiths and denominations, the article primarily
focuses on the city’s Anglican churches.
Meeting the financial burden
In New York City, as in many urban centres
in the US, there is a tendency to assume that
religious properties will survive or remain
unchanged, as though they were immune to
the boom and bust cycles of urban property
development. On the contrary, houses of
worship are equally afected by difcult
economic times. Tey are equally subject
to escalating operating and maintenance
costs and at times it can be difcult for
congregations to raise the necessary funds
to further mission and outreach projects.
Religious institutions can also struggle to
preserve or maintain their property as a result
of unpredictable internal causes: income waning
as a result of an aging membership, changing
demographics, or falling attendance. Tese
internal factors can infuence the fnancial
stability and growth of congregations.
When houses of worship do run into
trouble, it can be some time before the
wider community becomes aware of the
fact. Successful and active congregations can
easily be taken for granted by their non-
member neighbours; as long as a property is
West-Park Presbyterian Church (chapel by Leopold Eidlitz, 1884, sanctuary by Henry F Kilburn, 1890, completing
the Eidlitz design): Tis church was recently designated a New York City landmark, a victory for the community,
but a potential loss for the presbytery. Some form of tenant partnership will be needed to ofset the cost of repair
and rehabilitation and share the maintenance of the property.