saviours

March 2008: St. Saviour's Church, a country church built in Maspeth, Queens in 1847 by master ecclesiastical architect Richard Upjohn, may yet be saved, after years of sturm und drang involving a protracted battle that pitted determined preservationists and proud, historically-minded residents against an implacable developer and an unmovable NYC Landmarks Preservation Committee. The church has improbably been placed in position to be rescued -- by the local Lutheran-All Faiths Cemetery and the developer itself, Maspeth Development LLC, which has given the Juniper Park Civic Association the opportunity until late April (2008) to move the church off the property, whether by flatbed truck or by disassembling it and reassembling it at All-Faiths. There will be a press conference Monday, March 31st at 1pm to announce the agreement between Maspeth Development, LLC and JPCA to move St. Saviour's to All Faiths Cemetery.

This photo from the early 20th Century shows the church pretty much as Upjohn built it about 60 years before, an unpretentious, simple board and batten structure. Ironically measures taken while the church was being prepared for demolition have stripped off the aluminum siding and other acoiutrements that built up over the years and now show the church pretty much the way it was when first constructed...

Representatives from Juniper Park are to meet Friday, March 28, 2008 with building movers to determine costs and tactics for moving the church. The exterior vinyl siding was recently removed, revealing the church's original wooden decorative shingles and other Gothic Revival details. JPCA President Robert Holden hopes if all goes as planned, the church might qualify for landmark designation.

"They're going to be surprised when they see what we have. It's going to be a real jewel," Holden says. "I think this is going to be a rallying cry for a lot of groups not to give up."

All Faith's legal status prevents it from paying for the move, but Austin said he foresees working with Juniper Park in the future to create a community resource should St. Saviourís move to the cemetery grounds. A Lutheran church on the site burnt to the ground in 1977 and was never rebuilt.

Moving the church presents enormous challenges, requiring permits to dismantle utility lines and reroute traffic. If the church canít be moved in its entirety it may be dismantled and reconstructed on its new site. Either strategy will be costly, but so will losing a significant Upjohn church, preservationists say.

"Upjohn was an urban architect, so it's highly unusual to have an Upjohn church in that setting," said Colleen Meagher, manager of grants and technical services at the New York Landmarks Conservancy. "Usually we say moving a building compromises its context but sometimes this is preferable to demolishing it." [Urbanite -- AM New York, March 27, 2008]