Central Brooklyn State Sen. Jesse Hamilton has joined in with Brownsville Assemblywoman Latrice Walker in an effort to save Ocean Hill-Brownsville’s iconic Our Lady Of Loreto Church from the wrecking ball to make room for more affordable housing.
Italian immigrants designed and built the 100-year-old in the church in the early 1900s. The city, which bought the parish site including the church several years ago, has slated its demolition to make way for more affordable housing. This led to the Brownsville Heritage House (BHH) and Walker to start a lobbying campaign to the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) for the church to become landmarked.
Now Hamilton has also jumped into the effort to save the church.
“I am acutely aware of the need for affordable housing in Brownsville. Every day, my office sees a stream of people losing their homes or looking for an affordable way to stay in Brooklyn. Housing is the number one priority of my office, and I will work to be the most outspoken advocate for creating affordable housing in New York State,” wrote Hamilton in a draft letter to LPC Commissioner Meenakshi Srinivasan.
“With that in mind, I am writing to support the landmark designation of Our Lady Of Loreto Church located at 2367 Pacific Street in Brooklyn, regardless of the proposal to demolish it in the name of affordable housing. I find the arguments made by the Brownsville Heritage House (BHH) for preserving this century-old Italian-American cultural piece very compelling. As an elected representative of Brownsville, I consider it my responsibility to take a stance on this issue.”
Hamilton’s letter noted Brownsville currently has only one public landmark, the Betsy Head Play Center, yet it is dominated with 18 public housing developments, and that saving the church would help stabilize and improve property values as well as foster civic pride.
“All too often, when the neighborhood is in the news, it is usually because of a shooting or some horrible statistic. As a proud representative of the neighborhood, we know the neighborhood can improve by fostering the successes there. This church is a Brownsville success story. Its existence shows the perseverance of beauty in the face of decay, and the height of artistry in the face of mediocre new developments,” Hamilton wrote.
“Yes, Brooklyn in general and Brownsville in particular desperately need affordable housing. But the people in Brownsville are tired of getting crumbs. They are tired of housing healthcare workshops as if there is only sickness in their community. They are tired of only forums on gun violence, as if there are no good deeds in Brownsville. The neighborhood needs something outstanding—Our Lady Of Loreto is just that. To turn it into just another development site would not only destroy the unique beauty of the building, but would denigrate the entire neighborhood,” the lawmaker added.
Hamilton suggested the church could offer a wide range of possibilities for community engagement, and can act as a safe haven for residents of all walks of life. The intended purpose of the church will be a community center serving to educate the neighbors and provide an outlet for theater and other ennobling activities, he wrote.
Calls and emails to both the LPC and the Brooklyn Diocese were not returned at post time. If and when KCP receives responses this story will be update.
