A multi-year effort to document historic religious institutions in New York City continues this summer with Protestant churches in the Bronx. Two graduate-student interns are spending this summer surveying about 100 sites, and learning more about the Bronx’s neighborhoods, from Baychester and Bedford Park to Wakefield and Williamsbridge.
Charlotte Crum recently completed her master’s thesis in Columbia University’s Historic Preservation program, assessing community perspectives of New York City’s historic armories. She is enjoying applying her independent research to the work of the Sacred Sites Program. She hopes to continue to work with communities to facilitate local connections with historic and cultural resources.
“There are so many architectural and artistic gems hidden in the Bronx’s Protestant churches that I have found as a result of our documentation and research,” says Charlotte. “Furthermore, this work has shown me how New York City’s history and development are deeply reflected through its sacred sites, underscoring the importance of the preservation of these places for the people who use them now and the people who will use them in the future.”
Irine Le is a rising second-year student in Pratt Institute’s Historic Preservation graduate program. Before graduate school, Irine earned a B.A. in History from The New School and has held prior roles in museums, including the Rubin Museum of Art and the Museum of the City of New York. She is interested in the intersections between art and urban history and documentation work within historic preservation.
“We’ve been able to meet with so many different community members to learn about how these religious sites have evolved alongside the changes in the Bronx and learning more about the future ways they hope to work with their communities,” says Irine. “Through our site visits, further research, and documentation, I’ve been able to greatly expand my knowledge of religious architecture and its role in New York City over the last century. These sites are important both for their architectural significance, but also for what they mean to the Bronx.”
The survey started in 2004 with a survey of Catholic Churches in all five boroughs and has expanded to include sites of all faiths. The survey has resulted in numerous sites nominated to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, which makes them eligible for our Sacred Sites matching grants to support exterior restoration projects.
