Plan to restore 1820s Lower East Side church and add 130 affordable homes advances
Credit: City Planning Commission
A project to restore an 1820s-era Lower East Side church and build a mixed-use development with 130 affordable apartments next to it is moving ahead. Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal on Friday recommended approval of a proposal to renovate St. Augustine’s Chapel at 290 Henry Street and replace an existing two-story classroom annex with a 21-story mixed-use housing development. Now headed to the City Planning Commission for review, the development would include income-restricted apartments for families earning 50, 80, and 110 percent of the area median income, as well as some units for formerly homeless New Yorkers.
Formerly known as St. Augustine of Hippo Episcopal Church, the house of worship has been a Lower East Side fixture since the 1820s, when it was completed as All Saints’ Free Church. According to Commercial Observer, it is said to host one of the largest Black congregations on the Lower East Side.
The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) designated St. Augustine’s Chapel as an individual landmark in 1966, citing its Georgian church form and Gothic windows, as well as being a “fine example of the small, masonry parish church.” Even though the site is zoned for residential use already, a special permit is required for this project due to its landmark status. The LPC approved the demolition plan and new tower in 2023.
The $85 million project is being developed by Fulcrum Properties, with Think! Architecture and Design as design architect, RKTB as architect of record, and Li-Saltzman Architects leading the church restoration.
Plans call for restoring the chapel’s stained-glass windows, stone archway, and historic rooftop balustrade, along with accessibility upgrades, including a new ADA-compliant ramp at the Henry Street entrance.
The project will raze and replace a two-story annex that formerly housed classrooms but has been vacant in recent years.
The new 96,639-square-foot residential building will include affordable and senior housing. Fifteen percent of the 130 units will be reserved for formerly homeless individuals. The project also includes 3,600 square feet of ground-floor retail and 2,300 square feet of community facility space for use by the church.
In a statement, Hoylman-Sigal said the redevelopment of the historic site could serve as a model for similar affordable housing projects.
“Developing creative ways to introduce new housing across Manhattan is imperative in the current housing crisis, and this application highlights the potential of historic sites to contribute to this effort,” Hoylman-Sigal said.
“With 130 new affordable apartments, new community and retail spaces, and the preservation of the historic St. Augustine’s Chapel, this project will deliver benefits to the Lower East Side and the borough of Manhattan for generations to come,” he added.
Revenue from the new building will help maintain the church and its congregation through a 99-year ground-lease agreement, according to YIMBY.
In addition to the borough president, the project received a favorable recommendation from Manhattan Community Board 3. Now the project will head to a pre-public hearing review session at City Planning on Monday, followed later by a vote.
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