One of Fort Greene’s oldest and most prominent churches is falling apart and parishioners are putting out an SOS for renovation funds.
Built in 1860, the beautiful Romanesque style Brown Memorial Baptist Church on Washington and Gates avenues continues to draw its roughly 1,500 parishioners every week despite scaffolding that has held up its sanctuary since October 2008.
“We had to put up the scaffolding on the inside because the roof was so damaged, the rain would come into the interior which weakened the walls and at one point the walls buckled outward,” said Church Deaconess Dr. Audrey Harrigan, who is spearheading the renovation project. “So we immediately started phase one of repairs to stop the water leakage.”
That phase which cost about $700,000 and was completed in 2002, included temporary stabilization of the sanctuary’s plaster ceiling, making the building water proof from leakage, and rebuilding of the badly damaged roof including the facade and pinnacles and some of its stained glass windows. It also included some interior structure work to the balconies and walls.
Last week, church elders invited residents inside to assess the completed renovation and to explain the future work and the costs involved.
This year, the church is beginning major work on the interior — including restoration of the original plaster moldings and ceiling finishes, additional strengthening of interior walls, and modernizing the infrastructure with new wiring, lighting and air conditioning, and installing a mechanical room.
A final phase to the construction incudes work on the cellar and second and third floors, which houses several classrooms and offices, from which the church has many community programs including a popular sports program for youth, senior citizen programs and a long running HIV/AIDS program serving Central Brooklyn, which has the highest incident rate of the disease.
Harrigan put the cost of the five-year renovation project at slightly more than $7 million. Brown Memorial raises about $1 million annually, but most of that money goes toward operational costs.
To donate send checks to Brown Memorial Baptist [484 Washington Ave. and Gates Avenue in Fort Greene, (347) 302-8205].
