The Media Reports on the Old First Sanctuary Restoration

The media showed great interest in our restoration story. Read some of their reporting below, and we’ll keep you posted on further coverage!

Fox News 5 

Built nearly 130 years ago, the Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope, Brooklyn, has stood the test of time.

“It’s unique in that it has the longest history in the city of Brooklyn, 1654, founded by the Dutch government,” Pastor Daniel Meeter said. “It’s had many manifestations over the years. It’s been in three different locations and moved to this location in 1891.”

But in 2011, the ceiling of the historic Protestant church came crumbling down after plaster started to crack. Fortunately, no one got hurt, but spirits were crushed.

“The vaulted ceiling has been fully restored, repainted, plastered, re-anchored, cleaned,” Pastor Meeter said. “All the highlights brought back that were lost to grime and dust. Another 130 years for this building plus that, more than that, I think this city needs public spaces where everybody is welcomed.” Read more

Patch

“What a joy to be able to open our sanctuary doors again to welcome the community into this amazing space,” Fundraising Chair Wayne Adams said. “It is a true blessing to the community and we are blessed to re-open for this first chapter.”

“The church is not only an architectural pillar of Park Slope, but has also been a welcoming place for neighborhood gatherings,” Councilman Brad Lander said. “Even when the sanctuary was off-limits, Pastor Meeter provided space for a homeless shelter, a Hurricane Sandy relief kitchen, and many local organizations. We’re so glad the congregation and the community can now enjoy the building’s heart again, too.” Read more

NYN Media

One of the oldest churches in Brooklyn is getting millions in new repairs. About $9.6 million is going to repair the 130-year-old building of the Old First Reformed Church in Park Slope. Repairs remain ongoing to the exterior and interior, including making it accessible for disabled people. Funding was received in part from the National Fund for Sacred Places, according to a spokeswoman. Read more

Park Slope’s historic Old First Reformed Church has completed Phase I of its latest and most extensive renovation to date. Congregants were able to celebrate Easter Service in the church for the first time in eight years. Designed by George L. Morse and completed in 1891, the Late Gothic Revival-style Indiana limestone church is known for its 212-foot-tall spire. Under the direction of Jan Hird Pokorny Associates, the restoration of the building’s exterior and 8,300-square-foot sanctuary began in 2011 after the church’s ceiling fell in on worshippers. The scope of work on this New York City Landmark, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places, included restoration of the coffered ceiling. Workers had to re-stencil hundreds of plaster panels with gold highlights and reattach them to more than a half-mile of wooden supports. This phase also includes renovation of the altar, chancel, pews, chandeliers, and tympanum. Phase II will focus on the restoration of the sanctuary’s walls, including a mural painted by the 19th-century artist Virgilio Tojettii; stained-glass windows by Tiffany Studios, William Willet, and Otto Heinigke; and the church’s historic organ. Phase III will complete the work with the repair of the bathrooms and classrooms and installation of ADA upgrades. Additional restoration team members include PRESERV Building Restoration Management, who worked on the exterior, and Milan Restoration, who focused on the interior. Read more

Talk about raising the roof!

A 130-year-old Park Slope house of worship is hosting an epic party to celebrate a major milestone in the historic building’s multi-million-dollar renovation that followed a 2011 ceiling collapse — and everybody’s invited, according to a church leader.

“We are extremely excited to welcome our neighbors and these talented artists into our ‘reborn’ sanctuary,” said Rev. Dr. Daniel Meeter, pastor at Old First Reformed Church, located on Carroll Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

That collapse precipitated a $9.6 million renovation project of truly biblical proportions, which concluded its first $1.6 million phase of construction work, which included repairs to the sanctuary’s 212-foot-tall spire, altar, chancel, pews, and — naturally — it’s coffered ceiling just in time for Easter weekend, when the First Reformed Congregation hosted its first church service since the disaster. Read more

The sanctuary had been closed since 2011 in order to repair the decorative coffered ceiling that had begun to fail. The first official reopening service took place on Easter Sunday. In addition, on May 19, tour participants can enjoy a free “Celebration of Arts at Old First” from 3-6 p.m. with dedications, vocal, instrumental and dance performances to celebrate the reopening of the sanctuary and the return of a unique and historic performing arts and events space. Read more

News 12 Brooklyn

The completion of the ceiling is just one phase of the nearly $10 million restoration project being done at the historical church. The next phase includes restoring the windows and making the church more ADA-accessible. Watch and read more

Brownstoner

All this work allowed the church to reopen on Easter Sunday. But it’s only the beginning. The next phase will tackle the stained glass windows (by Tiffany Studios, William Willet and Otto Heinigke), the rewiring of the main chandelier and repairing the walls and the church’s organ.

The third and final phase will address the bathrooms and classrooms. The church is still in the process of raising money for the remaining work. Read more