{"id":272386,"date":"2026-06-20T01:01:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/272386\/"},"modified":"2026-06-20T01:01:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-20T01:01:06","slug":"historic-reformed-church-of-south-bushwick-burns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/272386\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Reformed Church of South Bushwick Burns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Greek Revival structure\u2019s iconic steeple was consumed. <\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"steeple\"steeple <\/p>\n

Film clip by Sean O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\"\" by Anna Bradley-Smith and Cate Corcoran<\/a><\/p>\n

A fire destroyed much of the historic Reformed Church of South Bushwick Friday afternoon. The steeple is gone, as is most or all of the roof, and the top half of the structure at 855 Bushwick Avenue.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so sad right now seeing it knocked down,\u201d said a local resident named Lewis, who has lived in Bushwick his whole life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m upset,\u201d said Eva Rivera, a 51-year resident of the area. \u201cI\u2019ve been living here for many years and the church has been there for more than 100 years. It\u2019s so sad. It made the whole block beautiful, everybody would see it, people would come from other places to take pictures. There were weddings and funerals and sometime mass. I cried when I saw this burning. It\u2019s so sad to see a beautiful church burning down.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"burnedThe church this afternoon. Photo by Anna Bradley-Smith
\n\"firetruck\"Photo by Anna Bradley-Smith
\n\"ruinsLittle appeared left of the historic structure. Photo by Anna Bradley-Smith
\n\"peoplePhoto by Anna Bradley-Smith
\n\"firefighterA firefighter on the scene. Photo by Anna Bradley-Smith<\/p>\n

One firefighter sustained minor injuries but refused medical treatment, said a member of the FDNY at the scene. Firefighters got the call at 1:22 p.m., and by 4 p.m. there were no flames visible but plenty of smoke as firefighters hosed down the building to get the fire under control.<\/p>\n

The adjacent row of townhouses appeared unaffected, and neighbors were waiting to get permission to re-enter their homes, one told Brownstoner. The fire was contained to the church, the FDNY said, and the cause is under investigation.<\/p>\n

\"firePhoto by Sean O\u2019Hara
\n\"\"Photo by Sean O\u2019Hara<\/p>\n

The iconic Greek Revival white clapboard church and steeple dominated this stretch of Bushwick Avenue since it was completed and consecrated in 1853. It was landmarked in 1968<\/a>. The congregation, which dates back to 1654, has been working on restoring the building, and repaired the steeple<\/a> about six years ago. Around the same time, the church said it hoped to strike a deal<\/a> with a developer to build on an unprotected part of the property to raise funds to restore the church.<\/p>\n

\"\"The church in 2022. Photo by Susan De Vries
\n\"churchThe interior in 2022. Photo by Susan De Vries
\n\"\"The steeple in 2022. Photo by Susan De Vries<\/p>\n

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