BUSHWICK — Three historic North Brooklyn buildings — two century-old churches and one of the best surviving examples of cast-iron architecture in Brooklyn — could be approved for landmark status by the end of the year.
The three buildings are making their way through the Landmark Preservation Commission's backlog initiative, an effort to purge a 95-building list of buildings that have been pending consideration for landmark status for decades.
That long list was slashed down to just 30 buildings at a Tuesday hearing. The commission will make final decisions about whether or not the buildings will get landmark designation by the end of the year.
Two buildings situated by the Williamsburg Bridge, a Ukrainian Church and a cast-iron building, as well as an iconic Roman Catholic church in Bushwick were also given the go-ahead for the city's commission.
Ukrainian Church in Exile, Williamsburg
The Ukrainian Church in Exile or the Holy Trinity Cathedral at 177 South 5th St., has been on the Landmark's Preservation Commission's list since 1966. Constructed in the early 1900's as a bank and then used as a courthouse, a Ukranian congregation took over the building that had sunken into a state of disrepair in the 1960s, according to the church's pastor. That same congregation, which are the current owners of the building, have for years opposed landmark status because they say it will make it too costly for them to make repairs. The Ukrainian Church in Exile's Reverend Wolodymyr Wronskyj couldn't be reached for comment immediately.
183-195 Broadway, Williamsburg
This cast-iron building built in 1882 as a factory and warehouse when downtown Brooklyn was a hub of industry, is currently owned by the family behind the Peter Luger Steakhouse across the street. “We love the look of the building," said Dan Trutel, a fourth-generation member of the Forman family. They're currently renovating most of the building, though they use a portion of it to make their signature steak sauce, he said. "We really wouldn’t want to change anything.”
St. Barbara's Roman Catholic Church, Bushwick
An iconic yellow brick and white terra-cotta church, built in the early 1900s also received a thumbs-up from the Landmark's Preservation Commission and could be granted landmark status by the end of the year. The striking church built in the Spanish Mission Revival style with an ornate façade and two soaring terra-cotta towers, still serves a Roman Catholic congregation. None of the pastors could be immediately reached for comment.
