St. John’s Episcopal in Pleasantville Receives $25G State Grant
The New York Landmarks Conservancy announced Tuesday 14 Sacred Sites Grants totaling $268,000 awarded to historic religious properties throughout New York State, including a $25,000 grant to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Pleasantville.
The money will assist with roofing, masonry and drainage repairs to the church and parish hall.
“These grants mark the 30-year milestone of our Sacred Sites Program and demonstrate, once again, that maintaining landmark religious buildings preserves our history and benefits the wider community,” said Peg Breen, president of the New York Landmarks Conservancy. “We are honored to help these amazing institutions and determined to maintain our ability to do so.”
St. John’s Episcopal Church was established in 1853 as a mission church of Grace Church in White Plains. It wasn’t until 1885 that the congregation built its first church on Bedford Road, which now serves as the Pleasantville Community Synagogue. Between 1912 and 1914, the second church, designed by local architect Charles A. Hoag, was completed. This Gothic Revival church is constructed from rough-hewn granite blocks, with limestone-like cast stone trim.
In 1929, the parish house, designed by New York City architect Oscar Vatet, was added. Constructed in a similar Gothic-Revival vocabulary to the church, it is connected to the sanctuary by a one-story covered walkway. The building was further expanded in 1972 with the addition of classroom and office wings.
St. John’s parish house is the center of the congregation’s community outreach and houses a local theater group, musicians and various youth and 12 step programs. The hall is the staging area for a well-attended homeless outreach effort known as the Midnight Run. There are also blood drives throughout the year.
The church grounds has a community garden sponsored by the church. More than 100 volunteers tend the garden which in 2015 generated over 400 pounds of produce for donation to a local food bank.
St. Peter’s Church in Peekskill was also awarded a $25,000 grant to assist with restoration of the slate roof, bell tower structural frame, roof and masonry.
The New York Landmarks Conservancy launched its Sacred Sites Program in 1986 with the mission to assist congregations in the preservation of its important buildings, both with technical expertise and advice, and with financial assistance.
Throughout the past 30 years, the Sacred Sites Program has awarded 1,350 grants totaling more than $9.3 million to over 750 congregations regardless of denomination throughout the state. The conservancy’s program is the only statewide program in the country providing financial and technical assistance for the restoration of culturally significant religious properties and one of the few groups in the country offering this assistance to landmark religious institutions.
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