Friday, May 30, 2014

$acrificed on the Altar of Real E$tate

CurbedNY has a pithy little post titled "Mapping 26 NYC Houses of Worship Being Replaced by Condos"  presented under the catchy rubric of "Losing Our Religion."  Unlike the house organs and press releases of the religious entities offloading the  development sites  churches for hefty proceeds, this little item tells it like it is.

If attendance is floundering, don't blame the sheep.  Look to the not-so-good shepherds.



Friday, May 23, 2014

Mysteries of Our Lady of Vilnius: Architect Harrison G. Wiseman's Only Church


Why was our church designed and constructed by an architect best known for designing theatres?
Does anyone know anything about Mr. Wiseman's life and personality?  All I can find online is "Architect: Harrison G. Wiseman" for a succession of buildings.  The following is excerpted from Emilio Guerra's Flickr page for The Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater (Yiddish Art Theater/Yiddish Folks.  

The Architect and Design of the Theater Building..Harrison G. Wiseman (1878-1943), architect of the Louis N. Jaffe Art Theater Building, was bom in Springfield, Ohio, and is known to have practiced in New York City from around 1910 to 1939 had designed Our Lady of Vilna R.C. Church, 568-570 Broome Street, in 1910. Wiseman worked in association with a number of other architects, including Arthur G. Carlson, from around 1915 to 1926, and Hugo Taussig, in the mid-1920s and early 1930s; original Buildings Department drawings and application for Jaffe's building also list the names of [Hugo E.] Magnuson & [Edward W.] Kleinert. Wiseman designed the William Fox Motion Picture Studios (c. 1919-20) at 800 Tenth Avenue. All of Wiseman's other known commissions, over two dozen, were for theaters, many of them neighborhood movie theaters in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx, including a number for the Loew's chain. ..His earliest known theater was the Penn (1910), a nickelodeon at 409 Eighth Avenue (demolished). Wiseman's other Manhattan theater commissions included the Union (1913), 505 West 42nd Street (demolished); the Bluebird (1920), 1763 Amsterdam Avenue; the Delancey (1922), 62 Delancey Street; the conversion of Oscar Hammers tcin's Manhattan Opera House (1906-07) into the Scottish Rite Temple (c. 1923), 311 West 34th Street; the Loew's Commodore (later the Fillmore East, 1925-26), 105 Second Avenue; the Hollywood (1926), 98 Avenue A; the first John Golden Theater (1926), 202 West 38th Street (demolished); and the Waverly (1937), 323 Sixth Avenue.".

Monday, May 19, 2014

Will affordable housing initiative result in segregated micro-hives for worker bees?

Last Friday the New York Times ran a feature by Ronda Kaysen titled "What’s Next, a Bouncer? Rent-Regulated Tenants Excluded From Amenities"  Developers who have provided affordable units in return for tax credits have created separate entrances for the "affordable" tenants or even off-loaded the units to a different site.  If the Archdiocese of New York is partnering with the city in creating affordable housing, I hope that they oppose the segregation of the working class from their well-to-do neighbors.

Under this scheme of things, would Gary Barnett be able to put the affordable units associated with this:

Where this...

now stands?  If so, please keep the facade, give us a space to assemble and give former Our Lady of Vilnius parishioners who qualify first preference.

But better yet:  Let it stand!  And let us pray.

Archdiocese of New York to Partner with NYC in Affordable Housing Initiatives: Will the devil be in the details?

The latest edition of the Archdiocese's house organ, "Catholic New York." features a piece by Ron Lajoie titled "Church Stands Ready to Help in Solving the Housing Crisis".  According to Msgr. Kevin Sullivan, the Church has several attributes that make it a natural for the affordable housing project. First, its theology of housing as a basic human right, second, a long history of providing housing and services for those in need, but third (and here is where the ominous soap opera organ chord sounded):
"The third thing we offer, and the cardinal has indicated this, is we have changing use of church facilities, so that as populations shift and we don’t need some of our properties for certain things there are new possibilities.
To the best of my knowledge, Our Lady of Vilnius Church is on the market for $19 million.  The rectory is listed for $9 million.  St. Stanislaus Kostka in Hastings was sold, church and rectory.  Mary Help of Christians has been sold for development.

The Archdiocese will probably realize quite a few quid in exchange for their quo while piling up ideological ammo against the selfish, sinful idolators who try to save their parishes.  The church should have done more to combat income inequality as it was developing instead of reaping its rewards in the form of real estate proceeds.

Wednesday, May 14, 2014

Mindaugas Gabrenas: Dreamscapes


One of OLV's artists-no-longer-in-residence encountered this exhibit by chance and liked it.  Although the Our Lady of Vilnius Church, rectory and surrounds are my favorite dreamscape, I will probably go to see these photos before the exhibit closes.  Particulars:

‘Dreamscapes’ in New York

Selected works from Mindaugas Gabrenas ‘Dreamscapes’ series will be exhibited in New York till the end of June.
April 2 – June 27, 2014
Open: Monday-Friday, 8am – 6pm
733 Third Ave, Manhattan, NYC
Visit Mindaugas Gabrenas site: http://www.gabrenas.com/

Sunday, May 11, 2014

MOTHER

n Mother's Day in 2006, the last Mother's Day before Our Lady of Vilnius was locked,  Father Eugene gave the final blessing.  He stood in his customary spot on the rough wooden floorboards, a spot worn as thin as a newborn's fontanel.

He looked out over our motley assemblage of sinners and saints and started by blessing the mothers among us.  He moved on to add the mothers in spirit:  the caretakers and teachers, the artists and dreamers. He continued to expand the circle.  By the time he finished, the blessing included the whole world.

This is why Our Lady of Vilnius lives among the petitions that we hold in the silence of our hearts.

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

Mayor DeBlasio, please help keep us standing!


Today Mayor De Blasio unveiled his $41 billion ten year plan for affordable housing.  (see Bloomberg "New York's De Blasio Unveils $41 Billion Plan for Affordable Housing" )  Just last week I learned that Our Lady of Vilnius is on a list of sites recommended by Community Boards for affordable housing.

This church is our body.  The communion of sinners and saints that has gathered there since 1910 is its soul.  Those among us who are living see this building as a visible symbol of the faith, fortitude and grit of our ancestors.  It is the symbol of the merciful God in which we believe and of the purity and love of His mother Mary.  A blow to this church is like a blow to my body, to our bodies.

Ironically, as Hudson Square is becoming residential and welcoming people who may need a spiritual center, its only church may be destroyed.  The ultimate irony would be if affordable housing, the antidote to the gentrification that led to the church's end, would lead to the demise of this humble but inspiring structure.

We should pray that the Holy Spirit inform the hearts and minds of everyone involved with the future of our body, our pieta.