Bed-Stuy church receives ‘sacred sites’ restoration grant
Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Bedford-Stuyvesant has received a Robert W. Wilson Sacred Sites Challenge Grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy.
This is one of 13 Sacred Sites grants from the Conservancy, totaling $200,000, that have recently been given to historic religious properties across New York state. Brown Memorial Church is getting a $40,000 challenge grant to assist with the restoration of its Tiffany window.
“Religious institutions are worth saving for their beauty and history alone,” said Peg Breen, president of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “But maintaining them also allows congregations to provide social service, educational and cultural programs to the wider community. That’s why the Landmarks Conservancy has been proud to help restore hundreds of religious buildings throughout the state for more than 25 years.”
Designed by Brooklyn resident Ebenezer Roberts and constructed in 1860 as the Washington Avenue Baptist Church, the building is an example of the Romanesque Revival style. The red brick structure dominates the corner of Washington and Gates avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant, and it features brownstone pinnacles, a fortress-like tower and several large Tiffany-stained glass windows.