Alas, everyone is losing sight of a very important fact: the corner of Bayview and Martin Luther King Drive is a no-man's land. The church abandoned it probably because parishoners were likely petrified of going there.

Remember: "Location, Location, Location"

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I think that's a great idea if it can be done.......which it probably can. My sisters live out in sprawl, and they miss the beautiful old city churches.........no comparison.

I was in Sacred Heart for a funeral years ago. It truly is a beautiful church.

This article is in todays NYTimes about the reuse of old churches

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/11/rea ... ermalink&exprod=permalink

The Limelight, now a disco was a church is New York. There has been many arrests for drugs and other activities. That is why I stand by my earlier position of having the building dismantled and reassembled to use as a church. Outside of the Northeast, the Catholic populatin is growing and building are needed.
Yvonne

clearly, Jersey City is in dire need of a historic preservation strategic / master plan.

Isn't John's Pizzeria in Times Square a deconsecrated church?

One of the cooler re-uses for an old church that I've stumbled across is this one in the Netherlands:

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/12/church_converte.php

Turning a church into a bookshop (or library) seems quite appropriate -- it's a quiet, peaceful use for a space designed to be so. I'd love to curl up on a sofa and read under a big stained-glass window.

There's a former church structure from the early 1800s in GV that was converted to a coop, I think it's on 12th or 13th street btwn 6th & 7th ave. The alternative to the conversion was a teardown. This preserved the structure and provided a new use which was better than watching it fall apart from lack of use.

The main point is to keep the building standing. If that means it ends up being a loft, office complex or car dealership then fine with me.

For what it's worth, once a church is deconsecrated it stops being a church. St. Boniface went through the same procedure 2 years ago. The building will then be declared OK for "profane use", which has nothing to do with dirty words but just means that it can be sold for non-religious purposes, as long as those purposes aren't "sordid".

I love the way they look, but from a spiritual standpoint, particularly once deconsecreated, it's just a building (although it would mean much more to long time parishioners). And for the faith it's never really about the building anyway, but that's a whole other issue beyond the scope of this thread :)

GWB

very pretty conversions, although I don't consider myself superstitious, it would feel kind of weird living in a church.

Loft conversion link #2

http://www.jeffreyteam.com/blog/toron ... k-church-loft-conversion/

For years there have been interesting loft conversions made from the grand hulls of old churches. This one caught my eye in Toronto from 5/5/08.

"The Swanwick is an extraordinary church loft conversion, the residences embracing the heritage and texture of the original 1893 Gothic Revival church......."

Check this link:

http://torontohardloftconversions.jef ... ohardlofts/abbeylofts.htm

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No need to look across the river for solutions. There are two great examples of extra-religious use of chuch buildings downtown:

Grace Church Van Vorst acts as a de facto community center hosting everything from art showings, recreation classes, and community group meetings.

OLC leased a building to The Victory Hall for years until they needed to expand their school just recently.

I realize that these are both examples of active congregations making good use of their resources but it seems that the archdiocese of Newark, if it desired, could launch a search to find a suitable buyer who is committed to keeping the church a public space, or worst case lease the property out to non-profit groups ala OLC and Victory Hall.

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They being whoever might keep or take possession. A great space like that can be part of the community, or be torn down. You can't preserve and maintain it by wishful thinking of a few admirers, unless one of them has real deep pockets.

There doesn't seem to be a 3rd choice except condo-ing it.

Let me ask the Catholics online something: Why couldn't the Vatican preserve many disused but spectacular churches worldwide by circulating some of their fabulous art and antiquities collections through them as pay exhibits? Now THAT would get people from all over to a church in JC!

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"They" who? I thought the building no longer had an active congregation.

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They should take a lesson from St John the Divine in Morningside heights on how to become relevant to a changing urban population. St John has done everything from concerts and movies to craftsmanship training for youths as part of their construction program.

It looks like a great place to see a gothic horror movie!

Actually, I thing re-assembly is more feasable than you might think. These sorts of buildings will not be replicated in our lifetime. Ralph Adam Cram was probably the best of the neogothic revivalist. (He also designed Princeton's Chapel for instance). The materials here are top notch. The stone pillars are not faux, as everywhere else, but are the real thing. Of course, the best thing would be for the Archidiocese to act Christian and stay committed to that neighborhood and keep the buildilng where it is an evangelize the place.

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Wow, that sounds practical, and cost-effective.

It is a sacred place. It should not be changed into a secular building. The Archdiocese should donate the builing to another doicese that needs a church. It should be dismantled and reassembled. It is too beautiful and sacred to be anything else.
Yvonne

Although the church is beautiful, unique, etc. etc., what should be done with it? Just to restore it to it's former glory and use it as some kind of museum is not often feasible. This is often an issue in cities where these beautiful old buildings are common.

It needs a use to fund it's continued existence, or it's just a drain on some ngo's funding. So is it a problem remodeling it into something else? Does it have to be a church - an empty church?

I used to work for a Fortune 500 company and I was included in a group that decided what nonprofit requests got funding. This kind of restoration without reuse means a forever commitment of funding from somebody.

So what could it be used for? And is remodeling into something else so bad?

"Landmark in Peril: Sacred Heart One of State's Endangered Historic Sites" Wednesday, May 07, 2008 By Charles Hack The Jersey Journal Jersey City's now closed Sacred Heart Church has been named one of the state's 10 most endangered historic sites yesterday by the nonprofit group Preservation New Jersey. The church, on Bayview Avenue at Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, was included on the list presented by Ron Emrich, director of the Preservation New Jersey, at a press conference yesterday at the Statehouse in Trenton. In its heyday, the church had a congregation of 4,000 but closed in 2005 due to dwindling membership, Emrich said. "Now deteriorating, the structure is a potential target for vandals," Emrich said. "It epitomizes the plight of urban places of worship whose congregations have dwindled." The circa-1924 church was designed by Boston architect Ralph Adams Cram as a reaction against English and French Gothic architecture, said John Gomez, founder of the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy and The Jersey Journal's Legends & Landmarks columnist. "It is a wild mixture of Spanish Catholic and Moorish architecture," Gomez said. The church also features much-lauded stained glass windows designed by the young Harry Wright Goodhue, completed when he was just 18 years old. Gomez said he is concerned that with a Hudson-Bergen Light Rail station nearby and pressure for redevelopment in the area, the church could be demolished or remodeled. Jim Goodness, a spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark, which owns the church, said he was unable to say exactly what is planned for the church. The site is also the location of Sacred Heart School, which has grades Kindergarten through eight. ? 2008 The Jersey Journal and NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. Photo by Leon Yost "Preservationists Release the Latest List of 10 Sites Worth Saving" Wednesday, May 07, 2008 By Tom Hester The Star-Ledger Preservationists from Scotch Plains, Jersey City, High Bridge, Milltown and elsewhere traveled to Trenton yesterday to draw attention to New Jersey sites -- "historic and cultural resources and landscapes" -- that are in imminent danger of disappearing. The nonprofit group Preservation New Jersey announced its annual list of the state's 10 most endangered historic sites. Each year, the organization announces the list to draw public and government attention to the dangers presented by demolition, alteration or vandalism. Being named to the list does not ensure preservation, but it has played a role in saving sites in the 14 years since the effort began. Preservation New Jersey director Ron Emrich announced the 10 sites from the Statehouse steps. "The list is not intended as a judgment on the significance of these as compared to other threatened sites," he said. "We call attention to these sites -- irreplaceable and in jeopardy -- and the many other places that they represent. "The selection of sites for this annual list becomes more and more difficult each year because of the growing number of treasured resources in peril." Ethel Washington of Plainfield was present to draw attention to the history of the clubhouse of the township-owned Scotch Plains County Club. The clubhouse stands to be replaced by a nursing home. As the Shady Rest Golf and Country Club from the 1920s to the 1960s, it was the first black-owned county club in the nation. "It hosted the first black professional golfers competition," she said. Mike Lewycky showed up bearing a large banner that read: "Milltown must bank on preservation." He was joined by Michael Shakarjian, dressed in a physician's outfit complete with headlamp, and Alan Godber. The three are members of the Milltown Environmental Committee and are attempting to save Forney House and Clinic, a late-1800s building that has served as a medical office since 1907. The last Victorian house in Milltown, it faces demolition and replacement by Valley National Bank. John Gomez and Violet Malolepsza traveled from Jersey City to call attention to vandalism and neglect at Sacred Heart Catholic Church. "The Newark Diocese has talked about making it a mausoleum," Gomez said. "That is an insult to the church and Jersey City." ? 2008 The Star Ledger NJ.com. All Rights Reserved. Additional Photos of Sacred Heart Church by Leon Yost: Archival images from Avery Archives, Columbia University: More photos of Sacred Heart: To view high-resolution video documentation of the interior (Quicktime only!), go to: http://gallery.mac.com/johngomez68 To view lower resolution versions of the films, go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/HistoryRules1999 SAVE SACRED HEART CHURCH! Visit the Jersey City Landmarks Conservancy website at: www.jclandmarks.org