Preservationists, residents and ministry officials weighed in on plans to rehabilitate St. Paul’s Church at a workshop Monday night, with architects presenting a series of redevelopment plans that would restore some or all of the church’s buildings.
The church’s rectory, parish house and main building, located on a tree-lined plot off of Grace Avenue in the Village of Great Neck Plaza, have significant water and structural damage, and the ministry is seeking a residential development on its land to raise revenues and down-size its facilities following a decrease in membership.
“St. Paul, as you know, has been a ministry presence for a long time in this town,” said Reverend Joseph Pae of the Great Neck Episcopal Ministry, which includes the St. Paul’s congregation. “Unfortunately, with a lot of other denominations, our denomination has seen a decline in our congregation and because of lack of funds the place is in a state of disrepair.”
The workshop, hosted by the Village of Great Neck Plaza, moderated by village preservation consultant Mary Dierickx and funded a by a state historical preservation grant, included a presentation of the church’s proposal. The proposal would see the parish house and rectory demolished with apartment buildings built around a restored main church building.
Architects commissioned by the village offered alternative development plans, which ranged from restoring all three buildings to a proposal that, like St. Paul’s design, would save only the church itself.
The church, built in 1924 is a designated village landmark. The parish house and rectory are not landmarks, though both have ties to Great Neck’s history. The parish house hosted a Boy Scout troop and a 1946 meeting of the local NAACP, and the rectory was the home of the church’s first rector, William Grime, for 35 years, according to the presentation.
The church’s plan, presented by Levenbaum Associates architect Kathleen Dunn-Raynoha, would replace the rectory and parish house with a 24-unit, three story apartment building that would include a parking garage built underneath a renovated main church building. The ministry has said it wishes to preserve the church building, but that the specifics of the plan are dependent on the ministry’s financial situation.
The Episcopal ministry presented an initial version of its plan at informal village hearing in May. At Monday’s workshop, architects Laura Heim and Kevin Wolfe described a range of alternatives, including options that would preserve the parish house and rectory.
“I think it’s helpful whenever you do a project like this to see the different options and weigh the pros and cons,” Heim said.
Two of Heim’s and Wolfe’s proposals would preserve all three buildings, with both designs featuring residential expansions to the church building and one including an added level to the restored parish house.
A third plan would demolish the parish house, allowing room for a residential building behind the rectory and a church expansion.
And a plan Heim and Wolfe dubbed the “terrace scheme” would see both the parish house and rectory demolished, with a multi-level apartment building put in their place.
VIllage of Great Neck Plaza Mayor Jean Celender applauded the workshop and emphasized that any redevelopment should meet the needs of the wider community.
“It’s a very thoughtful design,” Celender said.
Great Neck Historical Society president Alice Kasten encouraged the ministry to preserve as many of the site’s buildings as possible
“They are lovely and they deserve very special care,” Kasten said.
The project would involve financing through a private developer.
Ministry officials said the development was still in its planning stages and that they had not yet contracted a developer, but that they plan on keeping ownership of the property.
