{"id":374340,"date":"2026-10-16T00:06:08","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T00:06:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374340\/"},"modified":"2026-10-16T00:06:08","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T00:06:08","slug":"historic-nyc-churches-and-landmarks-at-risk-of-being-razed-for-the-sake-of-affordable-housing-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/374340\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic NYC churches and landmarks at risk of being razed for the sake of ‘affordable housing’: sources"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City has stopped awarding historic landmark designations<\/a>, leaving some of the city\u2019s most notable old buildings at risk of being razed.<\/p>\n

According to city records, no buildings are currently even under consideration by Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), the department charged with protecting sites of beauty and significance from bulldozers.<\/p>\n

That puts this year on track to be the worst ever for preservation since the department began in 1965.<\/p>\n

The Most Holy Redeemer church stands in the East Village of Manhattan on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

Most Holy Redeemer is seen in the East Village of Manhattan on Oct. 10, 2026. Locals are worried the historic German church could be sold off to developers. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cWithout landmark protection, it\u2019s very likely that eventually all of the historic buildings, the tenements, the old synagogues and churches, the institutional buildings will be demolished and turned into luxury housing and expensive hotels, the way things are going,\u201d Richard Moses, president of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, told The Post of the current climate.<\/p>\n

The socialists who have taken over have a dim view of preserving\u00a0old buildings<\/a>, particularly houses of worship, because they\u2019d rather see more affordable apartments. They claim keeping churches from being torn down isn\u2019t \u201cequitable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Preservationists are particularly alarmed over the fate of Most Holy Redeemer church on East 3rd Street in Manhattan\u2019s East Village \u2014 a granite and limestone cathedral built in 1851 by German missionaries.<\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani \u2014 who frames housing as a guaranteed public good rather than a speculative commodity \u2014 recently targeted 12 neighborhoods with the \u201clowest rate of affordable housing production,\u201d including the Upper West Side and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn for fast-track development. Kevin C. Downs for NY Post<\/p>\n

The Church of Saint Mary, located at 440 Grand Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is pictured on Oct. 10, 2026. The historic church was calendared for landmark protection under former Mayor Eric Adams. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

The building, owned by the Catholic diocese, has been closed to regular service in recent years, only occasionally hosting events, said Moses.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would call it the most important landmarking situation in the East Village. It\u2019s really a beautiful church and the interior is really magnificent,\u201d said Moses, adding that designation doesn\u2019t usually protect the inside of buildings.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Lower East Side really is one of the most important historic areas in the country in our view. At one point, about a third of Americans could trace their routes through the Lower East Side,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

If the church were given a preservation order, then even if sold its fa\u00e7ade would be required to remain as it is. East Village Catholic, the diocese that operates Most Holy Redeemer, did not respond to requests for comment.<\/p>\n

Preservationist would like to see the Church of the Transfiguration in Maspeth, Queens, built in 1962 which blends mid-century modern design with traditional Lithuanian folk architectural, receive landmark designation. Google Maps<\/p>\n

Preservationists are worried about the fate of the Church of St. Michael in Chelsea. Google Maps<\/p>\n

However, it may not meet requirements. Citing \u201cthe killing of George Floyd\u201d and \u201cattacks on democracy\u201d LPC announced an \u201cequity framework<\/a>\u201d in 2021 to \u201censure diversity and inclusion in designations\u201d and focus on \u201cprioritizing designations that represent New York City\u2019s diversity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shortages in housing across New York City have pushed rents to record highs, with median monthly rent in Manhattan reaching $5,300 in June, up 8% from a year earlier, according to Corcoran real estate.<\/p>\n

Developers and city planners alike are looking for any places they can to build<\/a> and help ease the crisis. \u201cNYC\u2019s housing affordability crisis is at DEFCON 1,\u201d\u00a0City Comptroller Mark Levine said over the summer, adding: \u201cWe need to push harder on every front to address our housing shortage.\u201d<\/p>\n

PS 15 Annex, located at 362 Schermerhorn Street in Brooklyn, is pictured on Oct. 10, 2026. The building was approved for landmarking under former Mayor Eric Adams. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

Our Lady of Guadalupe stands at 229-231 West 14th Street in Manhattan on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

Preservationists are particularly worried about buildings being demolished to make way for affordable housing, after a bill called the \u201cFaith Based Affordable Housing Act\u201d<\/a> was introduced by Brooklyn Democrats Andrew Gounardes and Brian Cunningham.<\/p>\n

It targeted houses of worship to have their landmark protections amended to allow developers to add-on or completely demolish sites of historic religious significance as long as they offered a fraction of the units they build at below market rates.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulture is low on the totem pole. If the mayor really wants an affordable housing complex to go on a historic site, it\u2019ll probably happen,\u201d Michele Bogart, former vice president of the New York City Art Commission under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told The Post. Courtesy of Michele Bogart<\/p>\n

The Lithuanian Alliance Building stands at 307 W 30th Street in the Manhattan borough of New York on Oct. 10, 2026. The building was approved for landmarking under former Mayor Eric Adams. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a certain feeling that landmarking is detrimental to affordable housing,\u201dRichard Moses, president of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, told The Post\u00a0said of the current climate.<\/p>\n

The \u201cFaith Based Affordable Housing Act\u201d worked its way around Albany for two years, but died in the last legislative session. However, New York\u2019s Democratic Socialist mayor Mamdani \u2014 who frames housing as a guaranteed public good rather than a speculative commodity \u2014 recently targeted 12 neighborhoods with the \u201clowest rate of affordable housing production,\u201d including the Upper West Side and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn for fast-track development.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe housing crisis is a symptom of the affordability crisis, and to solve it\u2026 all corners of the city need to step up,\u201d Hizzonor warned at an Oct. 1 press conference.<\/p>\n

\u201cCulture is low on the totem pole. If the mayor really wants an affordable housing complex to go on a historic site, it\u2019ll probably happen,\u201d Michele Bogart, former vice president of the New York City Art Commission under Mayor Rudy Giuliani, told The Post.<\/p>\n

The Church of Saint Mary, located at 440 Grand Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is pictured on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

The Church of Saint Mary, located at 440 Grand Street in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, is pictured on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

The city currently boasts over 38,000 landmarked properties.<\/a> The vast majority of those are contained within 159 landmarked districts \u2014 entire blocks or neighborhoods that have been preserved through the decades after tedious review.<\/p>\n

Three buildings were officially landmarked<\/a> this year \u2014 West 30th Street\u2019s Lithuanian Alliance Building; Grand Street\u2019s Church of Saint Mary, both in Manhattan, and Brooklyn\u2019s Public School 15 Annex \u2014 but those had been put on the schedule under former Mayor Eric Adams\u2019s administration.<\/p>\n

Our Lady of Guadalupe stands at 229-231 West 14th Street in Manhattan on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

PS 15 Annex, located at 362 Schermerhorn Street, is pictured in the Brooklyn borough of New York on Oct. 10, 2026. Emmy Park for NY Post<\/p>\n

Other sites preservationists are angling to get protected include Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church on West 14th Street. Founded in 1902 it was the city\u2019s first Spanish-speaking congregation, where radical activist Dorothy Day and 1950s beatniks like Jack Kerouac attended worship. It has been de-commissioned by the diocese, putting it at risk.<\/p>\n

Various preservation groups are also lobbying for landmark recognition of 2nd Avenue\u2019s New York Ear and Eye Infirmary, an 1856 Italianate brownstone; Church of the Transfiguration in Maspeth, Queens, built in 1962 which blends mid-century modern design with traditional Lithuanian folk architectural; and the 1857 Church of St. Michael in Chelsea.<\/p>\n

An interior view shows the main waiting room of Penn Station looking north in New York in 1911.The demolition of the original Penn Station to make way for Madison Square Garden caused an outrage. Getty Images<\/p>\n

Crowds gather in the main concourse of Penn Station as soldiers leave to return to their posts after spending the Christmas holiday with relatives and friends in New York. The Landmarks Preservation Commission was formed following the demolition of the original Penn Station. Bettmann Archive<\/p>\n

An interior view shows the train concourse at Pennsylvania Station, designed by architects McKim, Mead, and White, in New York, circa 1910. Getty Images<\/p>\n

New York City\u2019s LPC was established in response to the 1963 demolition of the original Penn Station to make way for Madison Square Garden, an architectural loss that still outrages many New Yorkers today. But after decades of robust preservation, which has included famed sites like the Plaza Hotel and Grand Central Terminal, efforts have slowed to a trickle in recent years, with just 11 designations in 2024 and only four last year. The LPC did not respond to The Post\u2019s request for comment.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a nightmare what\u2019s happening with the churches,\u201d Bogart, author of \u201cThe Politics of Urban Beauty,\u201d said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t see the merit of tearing down a church in favor of putting up some anodyne glass building.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou lose something significant in that.\u00a0But the city will gain more for its coffers, presumably, in tax money.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York City has stopped awarding historic landmark designations, leaving some of the city\u2019s most notable old buildings…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":374341,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[433,3307,7624,2999,6167,75,84,83,9,24,63,1491,82],"class_list":["post-374340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-manhattan","tag-affordable-housing","tag-churches","tag-east-village","tag-historic-buildings","tag-landmarks-preservation-commission","tag-manhattan","tag-manhattan-headlines","tag-manhattan-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-real-estate","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=374340"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/374340\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/374341"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=374340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=374340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=374340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}