The New York Landmarks Conservancy on Wednesday announced it was awarding 15 historic religious properties with grants, including a church in Brookyn Heights.
The conservancy said it was giving 16 Sacred Sites Grants totaling $261,500 to properties throughout New York, including $45,000 to St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church and Pro-Cathedral to help fund a tower and east facade restoration.
The Church of St. Ann and the Holy Trinity on Montague Street is the most ambitious building designed by Minard Lafever and the master work of his career. Construction was completed in 1847 on the Gothic Revival church, chapel and parish house funded by paper manufacturer John Bartow.
The façade is clad in brownstone with a central tower marking the main entrance on Clinton Street. The ornate interior is lit by two tiers of magnificent stained-glass windows, designed by William and John Bolton, depicting the life of Christ, which are among the earliest church windows produced in America.
“Historic religious institutions are some of our most important buildings. They often represent the best of American architecture and crafts,” said Peg Breen, president of the The New York Landmarks Conservancy.
Over 10,000 people visit the church annually for a wide variety of programs. Examples of activities at the church include children’s programs, a large weekly food pantry, events by non-profit partner organizations such as Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, the Repair the World, the Brooklyn Heights Synagogue, and the Service Collective, and events by arts and cultural groups, including the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra, Grace Choral of Brooklyn, Books Are Magic, the Brooklyn Folk Festival, the Brooklyn Book Festival and the Moth Radio Hour.
The conservancy's Sacred Sites Program provides congregations with matching grants for planning and implementing exterior restoration projects, along with technical assistance and workshops. Since 1986, the program has pledged nearly 1,700 grants totaling over $14.2 million to more than 850 religious institutions statewide, helping fund over $760 million in repair and restoration projects.
