Old First Reformed Church

Heart of Park Slope

Old First Reformed Church lies at the very center of the cultural life of Park Slope. It's a house of prayer, a homeless shelter, a day-care facility, a meeting place for Alcoholics Anonymous, and a magnificent performance space for arts groups. Old First hosted the Hurricane Sandy Relief Kitchen, which provided over 100,000 hot meals to storm victims, and continues to cook monthly meals for CHiPS.  

Old First is both a neighborhood landmark and one of the city’s loveliest halls, with Tiffany glass windows, a Roosevelt pipe organ, a huge Tojetti oil painting, and a Neo-Gothic spire of Indiana limestone. Completed in 1891, Old First was the largest church designed by architect George L. Morse, and boasts one of the country’s finest Arts and Crafts interiors. But though our congregation is Brooklyn's oldest—Peter Stuyvesant established it in 1654—it has only a hundred and fifty members. We can only save Old First with your help.

Historic Landmark

Old First is recognized, nationally, as a historic landmark, worthy of preservation. Along with our listing on the National Register of Historic Places, as we near completion of Phase 1 of our sanctuary restoration, even more miracles are coming our way: The National Fund for Sacred Places has awarded Old First participation in its grant-making program, Partners for Sacred Places. This is in cooperation with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Between 2016 and 2020, the Partnership for Sacred Places is determined to award $10 million among 50 houses of worship. Out of 32 finalists nationwide, Old First made the cut for 2018.

What Needs to Be Done

The first step was repairing our sanctuary ceiling, which is more than a matter of patching up some old plaster. To fix the ceiling, workers had to reattach plaster panels to more than a half mile of wooden supports, a months-long process that cost roughly $850,000. We are proud to announce that the first stage of our renovation, the ceiling repair, is complete!

Yet, there is still much work to be done. To fully restore the rest of the sanctuary and repair the stained glass will run several million dollars. There are two aspects to the renovation of our building. First, full renovation of our Sanctuary (including the ceiling). The long-term, overall project cost for this is between $6M & $7M (including restoration of historical, Tiffany stained-glass windows). Secondly, renovation of the Carroll Street Building to increase our capacity to fulfill our mission and bless the community of Park Slope.

How You Can Help

As a church, our mission has always been to help others. Now we are asking for help from you. One of the greatest gifts we can give our neighbors is the use of our sanctuary. Your tax deductible donation, in any amount, will help insure that Old First can continue to welcome Park Slope’s musicians and artists, speakers and community groups. Help us connect with people around the world who love Brooklyn, New York history, historical preservation, Tiffany glass, community outreach, and spiritual community. By joining with us, they can help save one of this city’s great spaces and one of our nation’s treasures.

Donations can be made at Razoo.com/oldfirstbrooklyn

HOW DONATIONS WILL BE USED

All of the money raised in this campaign will go toward restoring the sanctuary and Carroll Street building, bolstering funds already received. Old First will also apply for funds from a number of grant sources and family foundations, but we first have to demonstrate that the community is behind this project. Your contribution will help attract major funding in the future.

The project is being managed by Old First’s Steering Committee, which consists of Communications, Finance, Fundraising, and Project Management teams. Old First has also teamed with Michael Devonshire, noted Director of Conservation and a Partner at Jan Hird Pokorny Associates.