Grace Congregational Church Explained

Grace Congregational Church of Harlem is a congregational church in Harlem.^[1] It has served African Americans including in the theater industry. The building, designed by Joseph Ireland in a Romanesque architectural style and completed in 1892, served two other congregations before this one.^[2]

Marian Anderson and composer Duke Ellington attended the church and organist Sylvia Olden Lee was a congregant.^[1]

It is at 308-310 139th Street in the Dorrance Brooks Square Historic District. A proposal to redevelop the property would demolish the church and incorporate a new one into a building with housing units.^{[3] [4]}

Notes and References

1. News: Why New York City is Trying to Preserve a Crumbling Church . The New York Times . 22 October 2021 . Stack . Liam .
2. Web site: Our History . Grace Congregational Church of Harlem .
3. Web site: Nunez . Lissette . 26 October 2021 . Century-old Harlem church struggling to survive . FOX 5 .
4. Web site: Harlem Church to be Redeveloped into Apartments . Harlem, NY Patch . 3 December 2019 . Krisel . Brendan.