Brooklyn Developer Plans 88-Unit Harlem Church Conversion

Another church conversion is on the way, this time in East Harlem.

Brooklyn developer Shimshon Grunstein filed plans to convert a former Roman Catholic church in East Harlem into an 88-unit residential building, Crain’s reported. Grunstein agreed to acquire the former Church of St. Paul and Holy Rosary at 442 and 444 East 119th St. for $5 million in an all-cash transaction last month.

The developer has big construction plans for 442 East 119th Street, specifically. According to a Department of Buildings filing, Grunstein plans to add three floors atop the existing three-story structure to create a six-story residential building. The conversion will yield 16 units per floor across the first five floors and eight additional units on the sixth floor. There will also be 1,200 square feet of rooftop outdoor space.

The project represents the latest chapter in the 124-year-old property’s prolonged redevelopment saga.

Kahen Development Group initially agreed to purchase the 13,000-square-foot church and adjoining rectory for $5 million last year in a deal that included 4,900 square feet of air rights. Sharon Kahen filed demolition permits for the entire Romanesque Revival structure before the transaction fell through. City records show those demolition permits have since been withdrawn.

The property’s troubled history also includes a failed museum conversion attempt when a developer affiliated with the Institute for Studies on Latin American Art withdrew after receiving a $44 million construction repair estimate. A previous sale also collapsed due to steep repair costs for the building, which is in disrepair with a crumbling stairwell.

The building estimate submitted to DOB lists construction costs at $6.4 million, though such estimates typically fall well below actual project costs. Grunstein did not respond to requests from Crain’s for comment regarding the project timeline or unit mix specifications.

No permits have been filed for the adjacent building, leaving future plans for that portion of the acquisition unclear.

It’s the latest example of the growing New York trend of church conversions. Religious organizations are increasingly divesting real estate holdings to shore up finances while developers are seeking out these landmarks for residential projects.

In Clinton Hill, Brooklyn, Michael Lévy’s firm Geneva Transatlantic Holdings and Andrew Bradfield’s Orange Management bought 257 Washington Avenue, formerly St. Luke’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, out of bankruptcy for $9 million. They plan to convert it into either apartments or condos.

— Holden Walter-Warner