Monday, March 9, 2009

The old Church on Avenue C off East Fourth

There was once the most beautiful little church on Avenue C between East Fourth and East Third street. It used to be where those townhouses are now, on the North side of Avenue C. Let me tell you this church was something right out of small town USA. It was this little dark wooden church that had a wonderful large grass lawn around it bordering East Fourth. Someone recently wrote about a "Strawberry Festival" they used to have there every year. It was kind of our own little Prospect Park right up the block.

It was just so pleasant to walk home from PS 179 and smell freshly cut grass once and a while. When you looked at that church and the grounds around it you felt like you where in some small town in the Catskills. Well, tragically the thing burnt down sometime in the 70's and in it's place they built those townhouses.

I am asking anyone if they have any pictures of that church to please send them to me. I would love to post them on the blog.
One reader wrote once that her dreams of getting married in that church died the day it burnt down. Yeah, what a sad day when that church burnt to the ground, what a sad day indeed.

Ron Lopez
Mopar195@yahoo.com

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

While speaking to my mother today about the pics in the last post, she told me that this church was the Prospect park Baptist church. When it burned down she was instrumental in bringing its members over to Beverly Presbyterian, where the reside today, turns out that she went to P.S 179 with several of their members.She is working on getting some pics of the old church, Ill post them should she find some, Will

Anonymous said...

I definitely remember that church. I can give you a list of churches that are gone there was also one on E5 & 18 Ave. (is that technically kensington?). I think there was one on Cortelyou Road between OP & E7. Now townhouses. That was long ago so I'm not positive. And its not the one thats was across on the other side of cortelyou. There was a HUGE I mean HUGE church on Ocean Parkway the block after 18th ave i think Lawrence or Parkville ave. All these are gone. Does anyone remember all these?

Anonymous said...

I remember all of those! I even made a reference to the one on E.4and C in a comment to an older post. I havent though about those others forever. I didnt realize the one on E.7 and Cortelyou was gone, i havent been back in a very long time. I used to go there to vote! I used to pass the one on 18 and E 5 everyday on my walk to St. Rose. (I think that is Parkville btw?)The PAL center was right next door. I even went to a service there once for a project for high school and was impressed with how friendly it was. They took it down and left an ugly,empty lot there. I also used to pass the one on O.P. everyday. It was on the corner of Webster Ave. They took it down and built a nursing home in its place, which looked like it was a dirty,nasty place. -Joe, E. 5 st.

Anonymous said...

EXCELLENT description of the church and the environment in which it existed including the annual Strawberry Festival.


My family lived in 403 Avenue "C" on the fourth floor in the apartment fronting Avenue "C" and East 4th Street. Great flow through ventilation.


My Mom could watch the world go by,,, PS179, the church, etc. I moved out when I married in '65. My Dad stayed in the apartment till it went condo.


You did a great job in capturing the essence of the church. Thank You!