UPPER WEST SIDE — Preservationists and community leaders argued Thursday that all buildings on the St. Michael's Church campus should be landmarked. But the head minister and congregation disagreed — they want only the church sanctuary to gain landmark status.
Upper West Side residents and leaders testified before the Landmarks Preservation Commission Thursday morning at a hearing regarding whether the Amsterdam Avenue and West 99th Street church complex should be landmarked. The commissioners will take an official vote in early 2016, a spokeswoman said.
St. Michael's is among a backlog of 100 sites that were unexpectedly yanked from LPC's docket, but then restored after public outcry.
The three church buildings that make up the campus — the rectory, parish hall and church sanctuary — were completed by Robert W. Gibson and his design firm by 1891.
LANDMARK WEST!, the preservation advocacy group, described the church, with its Tiffany windows, corner tower and white limestone, as "a beacon," in its testimony to the LPC.
Referencing other instances where land has been sold off right next to houses of worship, such as St. John the Divine, about 10 blocks north, LANDMARK WEST! said keeping the buildings as an "ecclesiastic campus whole" was vital.
"Too often, beloved institutions trade buildings and land as liquid currency for endowments in future programming," the statement said.
City Councilman Mark Levine testified before the LPC Thursday as well, and also argued that the entire campus should be landmarked. Community Board 7 also supports the larger three building designation.
But Rev. Kate Flexer, the head rector of the historic church, said it was important to the congregation that they update the rectory and parish hall to make them more accessible.
"Simply getting in and out of our parish house and rectory is a difficulty for many and an impossibility for some...they inhibit our ability to do our work well," testified Flexer.
The landmark status "does not preclude modification for accessibility," she said.
"But designation of the parish house and rectory will make our ministry significantly more difficult and expensive to accomplish," said Flexer.
From a financial perspective, the rectory and parish need a lot of repairs in order to properly preserve them, pointed out Jean Ballard Terepka, the church's archivist.
"St. Michael’s can only commit to appropriate landmark stewardship of the church building," she said.
The LPC will not decide on the designation until early 2016, but residents can write a letter to the commission with testimony that will go towards the record within the next two weeks, until Nov. 26.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated a comment by Flexer. She said the landmarks designation does not "preclude" accessibility modifications, rather than "include."
