A marathon 3.5-hour Landmarks Preservation Commission hearing drew close to 80 speakers weighing in on a proposal to build a 27-story, 240-unit tower rising from the landmarked Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church in Fort Greene, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
Supporters, 46 in total, backed the mixed-use redevelopment at 144 St. Felix St., pointing to the need for new housing and arguing the design respects the church, the neighboring Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower and the BAM Historic District. Thirty-three speakers pushed back, calling the tower out of scale, warning it would block views of the iconic clock tower and arguing it would erode the church’s architectural integrity.
Ahead of the hearing, commissioners received 95 letters opposed to the plan and 64 in support. LPC staff reminded the public that housing policy is outside the commission’s mandate.
“This project finally provides a realistic path to restore and preserve a portion of the church in its exterior facade, bringing new life to a building that has been a blight on the neighborhood for far too long,” Regina Myer said.
The proposal comes from developers Strekte, who are seeking permission to alter the 1930s neo-Gothic church, designed by Halsey, McCormack & Helmer. The project would involve partial demolition, relocating doors and stained-glass windows and constructing a setback tower that steps down along both streets. FXCollaborative and ADP Architects, also behind the contested Duffield Street project, are leading the design. The church is not individually landmarked but falls within the BAM Historic District, requiring LPC review.
Plans call for restoring the church’s St. Felix Street and Hanson Place facades, repairing masonry and cast-stone details, preserving stained glass and religious iconography, replacing windows to meet current code requirements, and adding new doors, skylights, a roof and retail and community spaces. The attached 27-story brick-clad tower would include 50 to 60 permanently affordable units.
The design team said the tower would use neutral glass, brick that complements the church’s restoration, limestone concrete to match the existing structure and bronze and warm-gray metal finishes. The church, long on the market, is said to require up to $30 million in stabilization and restoration work; the residential project is positioned as the financing mechanism that would make that possible.
Architect Dan Kaplan described the tower’s stepped, Art Deco-influenced massing as a response to the neighboring One Hanson Place, the approved tower at 130 St. Felix St. and the surrounding historic district. The firm previously worked on both projects.
Many supporters focused on the potential for new housing near transit, jobs, and cultural institutions. Others described the deteriorating church as a long-overdue problem that needed a viable solution, saying redevelopment would bring stability, safety and activity back to the site.
Opponents countered that the structure is not the neighborhood blight supporters describe and argued the tower would dwarf the church, obscure the Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, repeatedly described as a defining symbol of Brooklyn and set a precedent that threatens historic districts across the city. Preservation advocates said the project retains only two elevations of the church and risks destabilizing what remains during construction. Several urged exploring adaptive reuse within the church’s current envelope instead of adding a skyscraper above it.
Residents of One Hanson Place were among the most vocal, calling the proposal a form of demolition masked as preservation. Many said they support adaptive reuse and affordable housing at the site, but at a scale that fits the district.
Speakers also criticized a perceived inconsistency with past LPC decisions, noting that previous arguments for nearby development leaned on the importance of preserving the church’s low-rise scale, one of the defining elements of the area’s original design.
After hours of testimony, LPC closed the hearing without taking action. Chair Angie Master acknowledged the volume of public input and said commissioners will need time to review the extensive feedback. The project will return for further discussion and a vote, with no timeline yet announced.
