Construction becomes destruction of church building on Broadway

Closed in June 2012, because of dwindling membership, the Woodmere-Lawrence Methodist Church at 1023 Broadway in Woodmere has been sitting vacant and unused. Purchased by the United Hebrew Community of New York, the self-billed “Leading Jewish Burial Society in New York,” the building could get a make over.

However, that overhaul has come with some community rancor. Over the weekend, Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association President David Friedman said that he received calls and emails about construction workers destroying the church’s old stained glass windows. “I got calls on Friday that they were not only smashing the windows, but there was glass flying out onto the sidewalk,” Friedman said. “There was a complete disregard for these historical artifacts.”

The family of Yvonne June-Marie Brower, a Hewlett resident, had donated the land on which the church was built in 1921; an older church building was moved to the back of the property in that year. Established in 1871 as the Lawrence Methodist Church, the congregation merged with members of McKendre’s Chapel, which closed in 1976, to form the Woodmere-Lawrence Methodist Church.

While her mother’s side was Catholic, Brower says that she has memories of attending services and Sunday school sessions at Woodmere-Lawrence Methodist. Brower said that she had broached the idea of creating an exhibit at the Hewlett-Woodmere Public Library or a county museum, but nothing was done.

“They were part of the town, part of Woodmere,” Brower said, “it’s definitely a little upsetting to not have any control over it. I don’t think the property should go to waste, they should do something existing building, not just tear it down.”

While the destruction of the stained glass windows has caused some immediate backlash ––according to Friedman the HWBA has been bombarded with calls, emails and Facebook messages –– he said he also takes issue with the proposed use for the location.

“Feeling VERY VERY disappointed and disgusted that after YEARS of requesting access to the church property in order to preserve the beautiful stain glass windows … [I] was told they (whoever was hired to do the demo work) broke the glass out,” wrote Jaime Wysocki, former HWBA president, in the Hewlett-Woodmere District 14 Discussion Group on Facebook.

Trinity-St. John’s Episcopal Church is located less than a mile up the road from 1023 Broadway, Rev. Christopher Ballard said that he’s dealt with renovations and demolitions of sacred sites in Manhattan, and believes that the way this location has been handled is disrespectful to the entire community. “Regardless of faith, that church is a part of the community,” he said. “The fact that they just broke [the windows] out is a real statement of disregard for the sacred art and the community’s ownership of that place.”

Ballard added that it’s possible that the windows were too old and fragile to be removed safely, and that yes, the United Hebrew Community of New York owns the lot, but nothing of the sort was ever conveyed to the community. “It’s upsetting to have a neighbor who doesn’t really care about their neighbors,” he said.

According to Friedman, the Town of Hempstead is allowing the building of a funeral home by United Hebrew Community of New York, as well as a multiple-story-high parking facility. He expressed concerns about a funeral home on Broadway. “Imagine the traffic on Broadway with funeral processions following a hearse,” he said. “There’s total gridlock already… it sounds like a crazy idea to me.”

The United Hebrew Community of New York and the Town of Hempstead did return calls requesting comment by press time.

Have an opinion about what is occurring at the church site? Send your letter to the editor to jbessen@liherald.com.