PROSPECT HEIGHTS — A four-story commercial building is set to be constructed next to an iconic Catholic church in the neighborhood, bringing 47,000 square feet of new office space to the church’s Prospect Heights lot, according to permits filed with the city this week.
The Diocese of Brooklyn filed the plans Tuesday to construct the new building on the property of the Co-Cathedral of St. Joseph, the Catholic Church’s 1,500-seat Spanish Colonial church located on Pacific Street between Vanderbilt and Underhill avenues.
The plans call for a four-story building with a combination of office space, roof terraces, indoor parking and “production studios” located in the building’s basement, according to permits filed with the Department of Buildings.
It’s unclear where exactly the new building will be located on the church’s large lot, which includes the co-cathedral itself, an attached administrative building, a large empty yard on its west side and, on its east side, space formerly used as a shrine and garden that were moved last summer to a seminary in Queens.
An inquiry to the Diocese about the new building plans was not immediately returned Wednesday. News of the project was first reported by local message board Brooklyian.com.
The co-cathedral at 856 Pacific St. was first built in 1912 and recently underwent a $18.5 million renovation before being elevated to a cathedral in 2013 by Pope Benedict XVI.
It is now one of two official seats of the Diocese of Brooklyn, which oversees all Catholic churches in Brooklyn and Queens, sharing the status with the Cathedral Basilica of St. James in downtown Brooklyn.
