Landmark Hearing Set For Historic Washington Heights Church

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A virtual public hearing will take place Tuesday for the proposed designation of a historic church in Washington Heights.

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) will hold the meeting at 9:30 a.m. to talk about the possible landmark status of the Holyrood Episcopal Church-Iglesia Santa Cruz at 715 West 179th Street.

The public meeting will be livestreamed on the city agency's Youtube channel, and you can sign up to participate in the conversation here.

"Holyrood Episcopal Church is architecturally significant as a sophisticated well-executed Gothic Revival design by the architectural firm of Bannister & Schell, and is culturally significant as an important social, cultural, and religious anchor for the Latino/a community for the past 40 years," said a news release from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Holyrood Church, which means "Holy Crucifix" or "Holy Cross," was founded as a Protestant Episcopal congregation in 1893 by Rev. William Oliver Embury.

Presently, the Holyrood Church/Iglesia Santa Cruz, describes itself as a "multicultural, multiracial, multigenerational community of people who congregate to worship in three langauges; English, Spanish, and Sign Langauge," according to the church's website.

You can find out more about the Washington Heights church on its website.