Long Island Congregations Open Doors to Community During New York Landmarks Conservancy "Sacred Sites Open House Weekend"

Long Island’s magnificent historic churches and synagogues will participate in the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s sixth annual Sacred Sites Open House Weekend, May 21 & 22, 2016, when they will open their doors to New Yorkers and visitors alike to explore their extraordinary religious art and architecture.

New Yorkers travel the globe to experience beautiful art, architecture, and history. During The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Open House Weekend (May 21 & 22, 2016), New York’s world-class houses of worship offer this experience at your doorstep.

The Landmarks Conservancy’s sixth annual “Sacred Sites Open House Weekend” is when religious institutions throughout New York open their doors to the public, giving visitors a glimpse inside many of New York’s remarkable churches and synagogues and an opportunity to view the artistic treasures of many faiths, styles, and periods. Over 40 sites in New York City and over 120 statewide will participate in the weekend. Congregations will also showcase the cultural and social service programs they provide the wider community with special tours, concerts, food fairs and other events.

“Many of New York’s magnificent houses of worship have served generations and continue to anchor communities and all too often, they are seen only by their members,” said Peg Breen, President of The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “The Sacred Sites Open House Weekend allows everyone to enjoy the architecture, art, and history of these remarkable structures.”

This year’s Open House weekend celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites program, the only statewide program in the country providing financial and technical assistance for the restoration of culturally significant religious properties. Since 1986, the program has awarded 1,350 grants totaling over $9.3 million to more than 750 congregations regardless of denomination throughout New York State.

Long Island congregations participating in the Open House Weekend to date include:

Bridgehampton

· Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church: 2429 Montauk Highway, May 21, 10:00am - 4:00pm & May 22, 1:00-4:00pm

The Bridgehampton Presbyterian Church, a Greek Revival structure, was built in 1842, following the design of a local artisan, Nathan Rogers. The 80-foot steeple, fitted onto the sanctuary's front gable, replaced one that had been substantially damaged by a storm in 1904. The steeple holds a Seth Thomas clock, dated July 11, 1906 and a bronze bell cast by the Meenely Foundry, W. Troy, NY. The bell tower also houses substantial organ piping and blower. A portico which was added in 1881 complements the building. The congregation traces its start 1670; this is their third building. Many of the current parishioners are the descendants of Bridgehampton’s original farming families including some of the area’s few remaining potato farmers.

Greenport

· Congregation Tifereth Israel Anshei Greenport: 519 4th Street, May 22, 12:00-3:00pm

Located on the North Fork of Long Island, in the Village of Greenport, Congregation Tifereth Israel Anshei Greenport, also called Congregation Tifereth Israel Synagogue, was constructed in 1903-1904 by local carpenter Sterling Corwin. A simple, Victorian vernacular, one-and one-half story, wood frame structure with a front gabled roof and gabled, one-story, projecting entrance, the synagogue features narrow, round arched windows with diamond-patterned leaded glass windows, and rondel windows at each gable. Both the rondels and arched windows each feature a stained glass star of David motif. There is an L-shaped social hall addition at the rear of the synagogue, constructed in 1927 and enlarged in 1964 and 2000-2001. The entrance vestibule and sanctuary interior retains original finishes and fixtures including bead-board wainscoting; ark with turned, paneled, foliate and scrolled decorative motifs and stars of David; and original hardwood pews at balcony. The original sanctuary’s seating capacity is 90, with high holiday services held in the larger social hall wing. The Jewish community in Greenport was established by the 1880s, and included recent immigrants from central and eastern Europe, employed as peddlers and in the local fishing industry, and eventually, as owners of local stores and businesses. A congregation coalesced and began worshipping in members’ homes in 1892, organizing a formal congregation in 1900, purchasing property in 1902, and laying the cornerstone for the new synagogue in 1903.

Middle Island

· Middle Island Congregational United Church of Christ: 271 Middle Country Road, May 22, 1:00-3:00pm

Middle Island United Church of Christ, located in the village of Middle Island in Central Suffolk County, was originally constructed as the Middletown Presbyterian Church in 1837. The church was constituted a corporate body on October 1, 1805 and was reincorporated in 1837. A small church on the property was demolished to make room for the current church and a new building built the same year, by local builder Isaac Hudson. Sunday School began on June 16, 1850. Bible study was maintained during most of the year. The steeple was added to the church in 1863. The steeple bell was a memorial offering of the congregation in 1870. The name was changed to Middle Island Presbyterian Church after the town of Middle Island was formed. The pews were removed when the Presbyterian Church closed in 1966. The property was leased to, and then sold in 1977 to the Middle Island Christian Fellowship Church, which launched a day care center in the building in 1989. When the Christian Fellowship constructed a new church facility in 2009, they sold the property to the Middle Island United Church of Christ, which has reinstated pews. The small, gable-roof wood-frame church has wood-shingle siding, and a square belfry bisecting the pediment gable. In the belfry are pointed-arched louvers. The church’s main entrance is within a now-closed porch, and a small spire tops the belfry. The side elevations each have three, double-hung 24/24 wood windows, with arched transoms that carry the muntins from below into a graceful, curved fan pattern.

Oyster Bay

· Hood A.M.E. Zion Church:

Hood African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church founded in 1848 is an historic African Methodist Episcopal Zion church located in Oyster Bay, New York. It holds the distinction of being the oldest continuous congregation holding services in its original church structure in Oyster Bay. When a group of African American families were trying to organize a church in 1848, Edward Weekes donated the land to construct the church in 1848, and they called themselves the First African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. A small wood frame building was constructed on this site in 1856. Later the church was renamed to honor an early bishop, the Right Reverend James Walker Hood, and they changed their name to the Hood AME Zion Church.

Patchogue

· St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: 31 Rider Avenue, May 21, 1:00-3:00pm & May 22, 8:00–11:30am

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, built in 1883, is architecturally significant as a example of the Stick Style, a popular American residential and ecclesiastical style in the last half of the nineteenth century. In its geographical context as a small church located in a typical south shore Long Island village, the church also exemplifies a period in which the cultural and technological influence of the nearby New York metropolitan area was realized in the form of an up-to-date architectural design which met the demands of an increasingly sophisticated population. Although somewhat altered from its original exterior appearance, St. Paul’s is nevertheless a worth expression of the Stick Style, of which relatively few examples survive on Long Island.

For more information and a complete list of sacred sites participating in the Landmarks Conservancy’s Open House Weekend, visit www.nylandmarks.org.

Sponsors of Sacred Sites Open House Weekend include:

Acheson Doyle Partners, AIA NY Historic Buildings Committee, East Village Community Coalition, EverGreene Architectural Arts, Explore Buffalo, Faith & Form, Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation, Historic Albany Foundation, Historic Districts Council, Historic Ithaca, Landmark West! Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy, Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, Landmark Society of Western New York, OTSEGO 2000, Preservation Association of Central New York, Preservation Association of the Southern Tier, Preservation Buffalo Niagara, and Society for the Preservation of Long Island Antiquities.

The New York Landmarks Conservancy has led the effort to preserve and protect New York’s architectural legacy for over 40 years. Since its founding, the Conservancy has loaned and granted more than $40 million, which has leveraged more than $1 billion in 1,550 restoration projects throughout the State, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus, and supporting local jobs. The Conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The Conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the City and State, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations. For more information, please visit www.nylandmarks.org.