Permits Filed To Demolish Harlem Church Set For Redevelopment

HARLEM, NY — Permits have been filed to demolish a Harlem church that may be replaced by a new apartment building containing space for the congregation, city records show.

Demolition permits were filed Thursday for Grace Congregational Church, a two-story building at 310 West 139th St. near Frederick Douglass Boulevard.

They come more than two years after permits were first filed to construct a new seven-story building on the church site, as Patch reported in December 2019.

Those plans called for a 75-foot-tall building with 35 apartments, as well as a ground-floor space to be occupied by the church.

The listed owner on the demolition permits is Nigel Pearce, listed as the senior pastor at Grace Congregational Church. They do not specify when demolition will begin.

Places of worship around New York City, especially in Harlem, are exploring redevelopment in order to stay alive amid the financial pressures of operating in the city.

That list includes All Saints Church, a historic house of worship known as the "St. Patrick's of Harlem," which was sold to a real estate developer last month after years of financial struggles.

The developer's plans for the East 129th Street church were not clear, but its landmark status will prevent the building from being demolished.