Tag: church

321 Wythe Avenue Revealed

07/20/2016 | Comment

321 Wythe

321 Wythe Avenue, proposed.
ND Architecture & Design (2016)

Renderings are up for the new 19-story building to go up on the former site of Ss. Peter & Paul Roman Catholic Church, on Wythe Avenue between South 2nd and South 3rd Streets. The site was the original home of the church, constructed in 1847 and the first church building designed by prolific Catholic church architect Patrick Keely. (The Keely church was remodeled in 1902 and demolished in the late 1950s or early 1960s – full details on the old churches are available at Novelty Theater.) The replacement church, on South 2nd Street, was demolished last month.

The new building is certainly nothing very exciting, architecturally. The property will continue to be owned by the church, and according to YIMBY, will have 130 units of market-rate housing. Ironically, given the parish’s strong advocacy for affordable housing at developments like Domino over the years, not a single unit of affordable housing. And no word on whether there will be an actual church here – if not, that too would be ironic, since this was the first Catholic parish in Williamsburg(h) – 1837 – and the third in all of Brooklyn.

Details on North 6th Street Church Purchase, Conversion

Brownstoner has a post about the DOB applications that have been filed for the conversion of St. Vincent de Paul Church on North 6th Street. One application is to convert the rectory into 10 apartments, while the second is to convert the church itself into 33 units (neither application has been approved yet, though the demolition of the church interior is a go). Presumably there are more applications to come, as the church property includes the former school on North 7th Street and the large parking lot to the west of the rectory.

The architect for both jobs is Zambrano Architectural Design, whose local projects include 8 Hope Street. The development company, North Flats LLC, appears to be headed up by Michael Lichtenstein; the same developer who is behind the new Karl Fisher building going up at Grand and Driggs (once upon a time, a mini-tower).

St. Vincent De Paul Sells

12/20/2011 | Comment

bell-tolls.jpg

Photo: Heather Roslund

According to Brownstoner, the broker handling the sale of St. Vincent De Paul Church on North 6th Street has announced the sale of the property for $13.7 million. MNS, the broker, says that the mystery owner plans to convert the church.

The church owns two parcels on North 6th Street. One of those parcels (lot 30) is the rectory, a four-and-a-half story building that was constructed in 1869 (Patrick Keely, architect). The other parcel (lot 15) wraps around the rectory and consists of the church itself (also constructed in 1869 and designed by Keely), as well as the large parking lot to the west of the rectory and the 1960s (?) school on North 7th Street.

So the first question is, which properties did the church sell? The second question is, what does the new owner plan for the rest of the site? Taking at face value the claim that the church itself will be converted, there is still a huge development potential for the rest of the site (the larger site – excluding the rectory – is over 33,000 sf; that is a lot of development rights, even at the R6B zoning for the block).

UPDATE:The Real Deal posted the story last night; according to their piece, the lot is 37,500 sf (my figure was from Oasis). The article is also a bit squishier on the fate of the church (” the buyer may choose to develop within the existing structure of the building”), and it notes that the sale went into contract last Spring, and only closed this week.

Most Holy Trinity Church Holiday Tours

Urban Oyster is leading tours of Most Holy Trinity on Montrose Avenue on December 17 and January 7. The church in its current incarnation dates to 1885 (William Schickel, architect), but the congregation itself goes back to 1841, when it was founded by German immigrants. It was the second Catholic parish in Williamsburg, and Brooklyn first National parish.

Urban Oyster does some great tours – this one is also for a good cause, to raise money for “Trinity Human Service Center, a nondenominational food pantry and charity that operates in the church basement”.