Community Board 2 votes against plan to build tower above historic Fort Greene church
The plan calls for repairing the nearly century-old church while adding up to 27 floors of housing on top of the landmark structure.
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A proposal by developers to the Landmarks Preservation Council (LPC) to build a high-rise tower above the historic Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church in Fort Greene is facing growing opposition, with the local community board voting against the project.
The plan calls for repairing the nearly century-old church while adding up to 27 floors of housing on top of the landmark structure. Renderings show the new development wrapping around the site and partially blocking views of the Williamsburg Savings Bank Tower, a fixture of the downtown Brooklyn skyline.
The pushback mirrors a similar effort just blocks away, where the same developer did not receive the go-ahead to renovate a series of historic rowhomes.
Residents say the project would overwhelm the neighborhood and erase the character of the church.
“The developers are going to buildings that they know are landmarked and ripping out the spirit of the thing,” said resident Raul Rothblatt. “We treat property like it’s interchangeable. It is not.”
Rothblatt added that while the church is not in perfect condition, it could be restored without the addition of a tower.
“I think it’s a beautiful building. It’s not in the best shape now, but could be really remarkable,” he said, adding the project would remove what was a public gathering space. “This developer is gaining space. The community is losing that space. We can demand we get some of that back.”
Neighbor Sandy Reiburn said she does not want the Landmarks Preservation Commission to approve a scaled-down version of the project.
“I don’t want landmarks to let them make this band-aid change where they knock off a couple stories,” she said, adding that out of the hundreds of units being built, she wants to see the exact AMI for the 60 or so proposed to be affordable. "We have seen historic displacement of our Black and brown neighbors in this area, so the idea that this would bring costs down, but this affordable number is just lip service.”
The Historic Districts Council, a preservation group, also came out against the plan.
In a statement, the group said it supported efforts to preserve the lower level of the church, including fixes to the stained glass, damaged exterior brick and crumbling facade but warned that “a high-rise tower can greatly disrupt the building’s intended proportions.”
The final decision will be made by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. No date has been set for a vote.
