Burned churchs historic artifacts allegedly destroyed in NYC demolition despite archivists pleas: Tragic, stressful

Any hopes of salvaging artifacts of a landmarked Brooklyn church destroyed by a possible firebug have been torched, according to activists.The few remnants of the South Bushwick Reformed Church that may have survived the June blaze have been bulldozed by demolition crews in what locals called a “tragic and stressful” situation.“[We were] trying to preserve things like the cornerstone or the steel supports with the Corinthian tops that were inside the church on either side, but any of those architectural elements unfortunately were swept away with the demolition,” Dina Alfano, co-founder of the Bushwick Historic Preservation Association, told The Post.“Unfortunately, none of them were kept.”The discovery is heartbreaking for the BHPA, which had been asking for weeks that the city Department of Buildings pause demolition long enough for the group to salvage the 19th-century church’s historic artifacts.They were finally granted that approval Tuesday and were given three days to pore over the fire-ravaged building that locals lovingly called the “White Church.”But when they arrived, they discovered the workers had demolished everything other than Fellowship Hall, a 19th-century Greek Revival addition to the church that was used as a Sunday School classroom.Now, the group is prioritizing preservation of what is left of the parish hall, though how the torched walls will be stabilized is yet to be determined.“Its leaning steeple was a navigation icon.

It’s left behind a void, both literal and figurative,” Alfano said.Alfano credited the church as a vital piece of Bushwick history — it was built in 1853 when the now-hipster enclave was erected as one of the first six towns of Kings County, though its congregation dates back to the 17th century.“Bushwick was one of the six original towns, and being that this church goes back to the earliest days of Bushwick, in that sense, it’s historically significant.”The demolition pause is set to expire ...