Heavenly Homes: A Religious Twist on City Living

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

Creating homes in former houses of worship can be a notable way to preserve historic structures and interesting architectural details in uniquely livable spaces.

The brownstone building at 450 Clinton Street in Brooklyn’s Carroll Gardens–former home of the Norwegian Seamen’s Church—was converted into a bright, lofty triplex co-op. Residents in the 1856 building enjoy a domed ceiling and original church columns, moldings and cupola—unusual architecture even in a neighborhood of landmarks. The landmarked Greek revival-style Village Presbyterian Church (via Examiner) at 143 West 13th Street offers sweeping 14-foot ceilings and original church moldings to residents of the duplex lofts. Novare in the West Village is another recent example (via The Real Deal). The 145 year-old former Washington Square United Methodist Church is now home to eight luxury condos. The stained glass at its front and sides has been restored, and renovations have been done so that residents can see it from the inside.

The penthouse floor of a former East Village synagogue is now the residence of a local woman who fondly remembers the Beth Hamedrash Hagadol Anshe Ungarn temple as a neighborhood landmark and has transformed it into a modern aerie (via NY Times). Similar appreciation is evident in an old synagogue on Hester Street in the Lower East Side that has functioned as a heavenly live/work space for a pair of artists (via NY Mag) since the 1960s. Following a resurgent trend, (via NY Times), the Victorian Gothic Convent across from Stuyvesant Park (renamed Landmark 17) and the Arches at Cobble Hill are also among the city’s holy-to-home conversions.

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Heavenly Homes: A Religious Twist on City Living

NOVEMBER 11, 2010

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