Reduced to rubble. The historic South Bushwick Reformed Church, which is more than 170 years old, is being partially demolished.

This comes after a fire ripped through the church in June, toppling its iconic steeple.

What You Need To Know

The historic South Bushwick Reformed Church, which is more than 170 years old, is being partially demolished

Rev. James Steward said he understands the need to tear down the main building of this Protestant church, he and his small group of roughly 50 churchgoers are hoping to salvage the parish hall, which they believe is structurally sound and safe to worship in

According to the city’s Department of Buildings, it approved the church’s engineer’s plan not to demolish the parish hall

Rev. James Steward, who’s from Brooklyn, has been leading his congregation for nearly 14 years. 

“It is more than a building. That’s generations of lives and ministry of work. That’s what’s behind these walls. And so it’s sad to see this,” Steward, the pastor of the South Bushwick Reformed Church, said.

And while he said he understands the need to tear down the main building of this Protestant church, he and his small group of roughly 50 churchgoers are hoping to salvage the parish hall, which they believe is structurally sound and safe to worship in.

“Our engineers have already, from the very beginning, did an assessment to show that the parish hall was largely unaffected,” Steward said. 

Now, the city’s Department of Buildings says it’s granting a hold on a full demolition.

According to the DOB, it approved the church’s engineer’s plan not to demolish the parish hall.

“It would give us a starting point to be able to continue ministry and to build off for the future of the ministry. So, I mean, it would be something that the community has already said they will welcome and our members of congregation have already said that they would welcome,” Steward said.

The church, which was founded in the mid-1800s, has survived fires in the 1970s and 1980s when the neighborhood experienced riots and arson. It was also damaged by Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.

Now, though the faith is being tested after learning the FDNY believes someone set the fire. Although, the investigation remains ongoing.

Yarinson Ortiz Guzman, who grew up in the neighborhood, lives about a block from the church. He was raised Catholic but found the church in a time of need about a year and a half ago.

“This place has become like a second home to me,” he said. “To see it so hallowed out as it is right now, to see what was — was a beautiful historic building be torn down piece by piece is incredibly devastating.”

Ortiz Guzman was baptized in the parish hall in a pool beneath a stage that he said survived the fire. He was also hoping to get married at the church.

For longtime churchgoers — such as Velda Cumberbatch, who’s in her 70s — this loss feels personal.

“Woo, I cried. When my daughter [told] me that the church [was] burning, I hollered hard, I screamed,” said Cumberbatch, who worshiped at the church with her family, including her brother and his wife.

At the moment, parishioners worship online. The church that owns the property does not have fire insurance.

Steward said he is committed to rebuilding a worship space through what he hopes will be the generosity of community members, although he admits it will be hard to replace a cultural and historical landmark in the community.

“It doesn’t mean that our mission and our call ends, and so whether that’s in this particular location or not, our work will continue,” he said.

The police have not yet made any arrests or announced any suspects or leads as to who may have set the fire.

But for now, the church community is celebrating the chance to eventually rebuild.