19 Sacred Sites Grants Awarded Throughout NYS

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has announced 19 Sacred Sites Grants totaling $260,000 awarded to historic religious properties throughout New York State including a $10,000 Sacred Sites Grant to New Life Pentecostal Church in Newburgh, New York to help fund roof replacement, and a Conservancy Grant of $10,000 to  Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kingston, New York to help fund asbestos removal and roof replacement at the attached education wing.

“Maintaining these remarkable buildings for their congregations, social service and cultural programs, and history is one of the most important things we do,” said Peg Breen, President, The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “Religious structures really do anchor their communities.”

New Life Pentecostal Church in Newburgh, New York

New Life Pentecostal Church in Newburgh, New York was awarded a Conservancy Grant of $10,000 to help fund roof replacement. Located on Broadway, the building was constructed about 1910 for the Salvation Army, and this is reflected in the Salvation Army logo in the parapet.  It later served as a public health clinic before being converted to a church about 40 years ago.  It was purchased by the New Life Pentecostal congregation in 2004, when the congregation moved from a nearby commercial storefront.

The church is a three-story, painted brick building with a stepped parapet.  The ground floor has two entries: a pair of wood-and-glass doors in a segmented arch entryway to that level, and the entrance to the upper floors at the west corner, a pair of wood-and-glass doors similar to the ground-floor entry.  The second floor has a full width arrangement of six casement windows beneath a large brick arch with a projecting ornamental keystone and a trio of wood lattice panels.  The third floor has five double-hung windows, arranged in two pairs with a single opening in the center.  The two double opening have ornamental lintels.  A plain cornice separates this level from the masonry parapet above.  The Conservancy grant will help fund urgently needed roof replacement, needed to stop active leaks and damage to façade masonry.

New Life Pentecostal Church hosts meetings of the Christian Ministerial Fellowship of Newburgh.  The fellowship draws together civic leaders in Newburgh and serves community members.  The fellowship hall is used for other receptions and gatherings.  These activities serve about 100 people a year.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kingston, New York

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kingston, New York was awarded a Conservancy Grant of $10,000 to help fund asbestos removal and roof replacement at the attached education wing. Located in Kingston’s predominantly residential Chestnut Street Historic District, the Gothic-revival style Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church was constructed in 1880.  The painted brick building features a central tower, broached spire, and Gothic arched stained glass windows, and is flanked by its 1870, two-story, painted brick education building to the south, originally the church parsonage, featuring a two-story columned porch, and a circa 1870, gable-fronted brick former residence to the north, with a bracketed, full-width porch, now used for administrative offices and meeting space.  The church is one of four constructed in the mid to late 19th centuries in the Rondout district to accommodate the community’s German immigrant population.

Children attend Sunday school, and there are children and adults in bible-studies and Christian education.  The church hosts fundraisers, church, and community programs.  There are 12-step programs, the Mental Health Association of Ulster County, and an African Drumming class.  The Livingston Street Early Childhood Community uses space at the church to serve children.  Combined, these activities serve about 750 people.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for over 40 years.  Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $40 million, which has leveraged more than $1 billion in 1,550 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs.  The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals.  The Conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations.  For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.