Harlem Church Files Demolition Plans For Historic Building

HARLEM, NY — A Methodist congregation has filed plans with the city to demolish a historic Harlem church building in order to create a large development site.

Plans were filed with the city Department of Buildings to demolish the building that currently houses the Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church on Madison Avenue and East 126th Streets, according to public records. The church building was built in the 19th century for the St. James' Methodist Episcopal Church.

The church building is quite large and occupies three separate lots, which means its demolition will lead to the creation of a large vacant site ripe for development. Future plans for the site are unclear.

The Metropolitan Community United Methodist Church posted on its Facebook page in September 2018 that a portion of the church building's ceiling had collapsed and that the foundation was not stable enough for repairs.

Other congregations in Harlem have partnered with private developers to convert religious buildings into mixed-used developments in order to raise money needed to stay operational.

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