Whispers of history echo around St. Elias Greek Rite Catholic Church. Once, this elegant building stood as the Reformed Dutch Church of Greenpoint. The story of St. Elias begins long before it took its current name.
In May 1848 the Reformed Church began. They gathered in a room above a grocery store. A small church was erected on Java Street in 1850. But that wasn’t enough for a growing community. The Kent Street building replaced it in 1870.
William B. Ditmars a well-known Brooklyn architect designed it. Though little is known about him he left his mark here. Ditmars also designed the former Beth Elohim Synagogue. W. Wheeler Smith designed the Sunday school addition in 1879. It stands to the east of the main church structure.
Imagine Greenpoint in the late 1800s. The Meserole family likely financed this elaborate structure. Adrian Meserole a millionaire was a member. Mary Meserole Bliss a prominent donor also belonged to the church. Her husband developed much of Greenpoint’s real estate.
St. Elias Church combines Romanesque Revival and Victorian Gothic styles. These styles were both popular after the Civil War. The brick and stone façades feature round-arch openings. Polychromatic ornament adds a touch of color. A columned portico marks the entrance.
The church resembles other Early Romanesque Revival churches. These were built by Protestant sects before and after the Civil War. Think of the Church of the Pilgrims and the South Congregational Church. But St. Elias has unique details.
The detailing places it within the High Victorian movement. Look at the polychromatic banded arches and carved column capitals. You can also see it at the Westminster Presbyterian Church.
The focus is the pedimented entrance portico. It has a round-arched entry supported by columns. The outer arch has painted banded voussoirs. Each tower has a smaller entrance arch. All entrances retain their original double doors. Above the main entrance is a large wheel window.
Each tower has a round-arched brick cornice. Steep roofs with polychromatic slate shingles once rose above them. The eastern tower has an octagonal drum. The congregation decided against a 175-foot spire. The drum’s windows have stone voussoirs. The western tower had a four-sided mansard roof.
The Sunday school resembles a medieval Italian baptistery. Cremona’s baptistery is a good example. The angled front facade creates an octagonal illusion. The Sunday school connects to the church via a narrow passage. A wooden hood covers the entrance door. A handsome wooden porch shades a door on the eastern side.
The church and Sunday school stand behind a cast-iron fence. Its palings connect with small arched forms. These resemble the entrance arch’s voussoir pattern.
In 1943 the Reformed congregation sold the church to St. Elias Church. They moved to the former Thomas C. Smith house in 1944. The original members had become wealthy. Greenpoint had become heavily industrialized. Many Meseroles moved to more affluent areas.
St. Elias is now empty since 2007. Developers purchased the property. It was even available for film shoots. A robot orchestra once rented it in February.
Inside mahogany pews line the church. The school has a mezzanine and windows encompassing the third story. A choir loft sits on the upper level. It has sliding frosted glass window panels.
Down in the basement a wooden bar hides. Liquor racks line the walls. Did everyone know about it? Or were only certain parishioners privy to its existence?
Stained glass windows peek through the decay. A trap door leads to the tower with Manhattan views. St. Elias Greek Rite Catholic Church a beautiful abandoned landmark remains.