Paul Robeson Theatre's Shuttered Home To Be Renovated, City Records Show

FORT GREENE, BROOKLYN — A historic Fort Greene church that once housed the Paul Robeson Theatre can now be restored after the city approved plans for its renovation, records show.

Plans to restore the 153-year-old church at 40 Greene Ave. were approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported.

The Paul Robeson theatre's former home has stood vacant since 2011 when Dr. Josephine English — the company's founder and the first African American woman licensed to practice obstetrics and gynecology in New York State — passed away.

Dr. English bought the Rundbogenstil (or round arch Romanesque Revival) church from the Brooklyn Diocese in 1980.

The Paul Robeson theatre, named the renowned civil rights activist who once played Othello on Broadway, served as a home for African American playwrights, poets and artists in Fort Greene for the next 30 years.

The theater was closed after Dr. English's death and the church has since fallen into a state of disrepair.

The church hit the real estate market in 2015 and was eventually bought by 375 Stuyvesant Avenue Realty Corporation, city records show.

And on Tuesday, architect firm Dax studio presented its renovation proposal, which calls for restoring the church’s cast iron steeple, the wood front doors and its iconic stained glass windows.

The architects also propose to donate the “Paul Robeson Theatre” sign to a local historical society and install a wheelchair-accessible entrance.

A Dax studio representative told the Brooklyn Daily Eagle that the building's owners are considering several possible tenants, which may include community theaters.

Photos courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission