“The 59th Street Church” they called it back then. This is the Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church. Its story is interwoven with Brooklyn’s shifting demographics.
Once upon a time around 1900 the corner of Fourth Avenue and 15th Street housed the Greenwood Baptist Church. It then became the Norwegian Evangelical Free Church. This independent congregation served the area’s many Norwegian immigrants. Many worked in the shipping industry.
By 1929 most Norwegians had left. The congregation moved to its current location. It became known as “The 59th Street Church”. Later it became affiliated with the Lutheran Brethren Church. This is how the Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church got its current name.
Today the demographics have shifted again. Now many members of the Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church are of Chinese origin. The Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church reflects Brooklyn’s ever-changing cultural landscape.
The Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church building also houses impressive organs. One was built by Carl Magnus Oman around 1900 for the Norwegian Evangelical Free Church. Oman was a Swedish immigrant. He established an organ-building firm in Brooklyn. In 1922 Reuben Midmer and Sons installed an electric blower for it.
Another organ at Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church is the M. P. Möller Opus 5858 built in 1930. It features electro-pneumatic action and two manuals. A third organ is the M. P. Möller Opus 9104 built in 1957.
The Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church is more than bricks and mortar. It’s a living testament to faith community and change. The Fiftyninth Street Lutheran Church stands as a beacon of hope. It continues to evolve while honoring its past.