UWS Churches receive ‘sacred sites’ gifts

By Madeleine Thompson

The $25,000 grant issued to Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church at West 91st Street and West End Avenue could almost be considered a birthday present. Annunciation turns 125 this year, and will use the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s gift to restore six water-damaged lancet windows and to repair interior water damage to walls and window sills, according to choir director Michael Janaros-Cofield.

“It’s such a remarkable building,” Janaros-Cofield said. “We’ve got one of the largest windows Tiffany studios ever created, we have stained glass by Benjamin Sellers, we’ve got a 1927 Skinner organ upstairs.” He added that the church is also hoping to renovate its E. Howard and Co. clock, which has not been functional in years. The building was designed by the architecture firm Heins and LaFarge, which also designed the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, and was completed in 1894. Saint Ignatius of Antioch Episcopal Church at West 87th and West End also received a $25,000 grant for “structural repairs to the steel and masonry vaults supporting the sidewalk, as well as restoration work at entrance stairs [and] keeping water out of the basement,” according to the conservancy. Saint Ignatius, designed by Charles Haight, was completed in 1903 and features a vault by Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino.

Peg Breen, executive director of the Landmarks Conservancy, said her organization is careful to survey and study the religious institutions that receive money. ”We really try to keep up relationships with them to see who they’re working with and make sure that the work is done correctly,” Breen said. “They’re beautiful buildings. They really add to the history and the character and the streetscape of the neighborhood. They really show immigration patterns and different beautiful architectural styles.”

Annunciation and Saint Ignatius were standouts because of their architecture (though they are not New York City landmarks), and their commitment to community service. Annunciation’s programs, including a Russian language preschool and rehearsal space for the New York Gilbert and Sullivan players, welcome about 1,000 community members to the church every year. Saint Ignatius hosts more than 18,000 annually for programs such as music groups and counseling for the mentally ill.

The Conservancy Challenge Grants, as they are called, require that the receiving institution match the amount of the grant. According to Janaros-Cofield, who also serves as church historian, Annunciation has raised $30,000 to supplement the Conservancy’s $25,000. The grant will certainly help address the most pressing needs, but repairs at both Annunciation and Saint Ignatius are expected to cost each institution around $300,000. The Landmarks Conservancy is a private, nonprofit organization that helps preserve historic architecture, and recently awarded a total of $260,000 to religious properties throughout the state.

Madeleine Thompson can be reached at newsreporter@strausnews.com