This article was originally written for the September/October 2023 issue of Preservation Connecticut News. See the end of the article for an update from author Michael Forino.
Connecticut is home to thousands of churches, temples, and other religious landmarks. Many of them are invaluable works of architecture and art, boasting stained-glass windows, monumental stonework, elaborate wood carvings, plasterwork, tapestries, mosaics, paintings, grand spires, belfries, and steeples. But even the most modest play a crucial role in shaping our historic landscape,
Calvary Temple Christian Center received a grant for a conditions assessment to understand how its building can continue to serve the community.
strengthening community cohesion, creating a sense of belonging, and providing inspiration for believers and non-believers alike. In recent decades, the place of religion in American society has changed dramatically. With membership and income declining while costs of labor and material rise, even thriving congregations face significant challenges to maintain, let alone restore, their historic structures.
This is not just an aesthetic or historical concern, since congregations also offer essential services to their communities and support the hungry, the needy, the mentally ill, and the lost, services which are most important in our state’s urban centers. So important is this role that congregations often put off urgent repair work in order to devote all their resources to helping those in need.
But what happens when repairs can no longer be avoided? How are they to be paid for? Especially in poverty-stricken cities, many church buildings are threatened with decay, abandonment, even catastrophic structural failure. The loss of church buildings threatens the viability of these essential community programs.
Funding for historic religious properties
Despite the social service role that religious institutions fill, finding outside financial support can be difficult. Some private funders will not grant to religious groups, in order to avoid the appearance of sectarianism. Government funders can be constrained by the separation of church and state, although early
Clergy and congregation members meet with Preservation Connecticut staff.
blanket prohibitions against funding religious entities have been modified over the years. One funding source specifically for historic religious structures is Preservation Connecticut’s Maintenance and Repair Grants, launched in 2015 and funded through the Community Investment Act. This program provides matching grants of up to $15,000 for capital improvements at historic religious sites. Since its inception, PCT has leveraged $650,000 of our funds to support more than $1.3 million in capital projects. However, the program is oversubscribed every year, and the $15,000 grants are increasingly less effective as the cost and complexity of preservation work surge. In addition to the Maintenance and Repair grants, stewards of historic religious buildings can qualify for Survey and Planning grant or Historic Restoration Fund grants from the State Historic Preservation Office. Many historically significant religious buildings have benefited from these programs.
However, numerous hurdles stand in the way of urban churches seeking to access these funds. The application process can be overwhelming for those who are unused to the kind of paperwork and technical language involved. A more serious hurdle is the requirement to provide a match for grant funds. Most difficult for struggling congregations, these grants typically are paid as reimbursement for eligible expenditures, meaning that recipients must fully finance a project up-front. The result of these requirements is that many funding sources simply favor groups that already have significant financial resources. This is an issue that needs to be acknowledged and addressed, as it leaves the most disadvantaged groups and the most needy historic buildings out of the picture.
Washington Park, Bridgeport
Preservation Connecticut Circuit Riders routinely meet with owners of historic religious properties throughout the state to assist them in evaluating and planning for the care of their historic buildings, including introducing them to funding resources.
In December 2021, PCT received a typical request for a visit from Jenice and John Thompson, pastors at Calvary Temple Christian Center (CTCC) located on Barnum Avenue in Bridgeport, across the street from historic Washington Park.
The Washington Park neighborhood, developed by P.T. Barnum and William H. Noble beginning in 1850, boasts a rich cultural, social, and architectural heritage. Listed on the National Register as part of the East Bridgeport National Register district and also located within the Pembroke City local historic district, the area is often referred to as Bridgeport’s most intact 19th-century neighborhood.
That architectural distinction is marred by gross social inequity. The neighborhood is one of the poorest in Bridgeport, with 33 percent of residents living in poverty–significantly surpassing the state average. Seventy-four percent of the area’s children live in low-income families, with 41 percent of them beneath the poverty line. The area’s senior residents also face economic difficulties, with 28 percent living in poverty and 52 percent identified as low-income earners. Homeownership, typically a factor contributing to community stability, is strikingly low in the area, at a scant 21 percent.
PCT learned that the Thompsons and the CTCC actively work to counteract this inequality through charitable activities that include donating computers, offering haircuts, assisting with rent, and giving out items such as gift cards, food vouchers, clothing, winter gear, children’s bicycles, and even vehicles to those in need. Regular community meetings feature guest speakers who discuss topics such as mental health, self-awareness, self-esteem, and overcoming addictive behaviors. The church also runs programs specifically aimed at feeding and clothing the homeless. The church’s commitment to its community is truly inspiring.
CTCC is not only confronted with neighborhood challenges but also with the responsibility of maintaining its beautiful yet needy historical structure, the Park Congregational Church, built in 1870. They have made significant progress in restructuring and securing the building’s exterior, but much work remains. Our collaboration with Jenice commenced with the application for state funding for a conditions assessment, a grant awarded by the State Historic Preservation Office in 2022.
Coincidentally, Circuit Riders were called to another location in Washington Park just a few weeks later. This time, it was to St. Luke’s-St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, at the invitation of former State Representative Edna Garcia, a parishioner. Like CTCC’s, this congregation’s commitment to their community is truly inspiring, as are their historic stone church and rectory erected shortly after the Civil War. However, the church’s grandeur is tarnished by plastic buckets strategically placed to catch
Basement flooding frequently shuts down meal service at St. Luke’s-St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
water leaking from the century-old roof. These leaks not only pose a risk to the historic building, but also regularly shut down the church’s food services, which provide meals to hundreds of people weekly.
Community Investment Fund 2030
A new opportunity for assisting these churches emerged early last year, when the General Assembly approved Governor Lamont proposal for The Community Investment Fund 2030 (CIF2030). This program aims to stimulate economic growth in historically underserved communities throughout the state, including Bridgeport. The initiative makes a total of $875 million available to nonprofit organizations, churches included. Unlike other funding programs, CIF2030 is ideal for these churches because it does not require a cash match, and it is not necessarily a reimbursement grant, meaning that funds may be distributed before the project’s conclusion.
PCT saw CIF2030 as a potential tool to bring about enduring and transformative change to the Washington Park community. The first step in developing a proposal was to conduct a comprehensive survey of the neighborhood with the aim of identifying other churches and nonprofits that could potentially benefit from the fund. These institutions, like the initial two churches, provide invaluable services to their community. The team was able to successfully connect with several additional key institutions:
- The Apostolic Worship Center, located in the historic Bethesda mission chapel (1866; later a synagogue), houses a range of community-focused ministries, including a food pantry;
- Holy Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary Ukrainian Catholic Church, whose building was originally the Washington Park Methodist Episcopal Church (1883), offers ministry services and housing for Ukrainian immigrants and refugees;
- The Miracle Faith World Outreach/ Universal Faith Outreach, in the former St. Paulus German Lutheran Church (1894) and A. E. Lines livery stable (1869), plays a crucial role in food donation throughout Connecticut;
- Iglesia Bautista Emanuel, in the former St. Joseph’s Polish National Catholic Church (1936), provides ministerial services and childcare for young women.
PCT created a proposal to carry out needed repair and restoration work at these eight historic buildings. With the help of Crosskey Architects, staff prepared a project scope and budget for each location. Tasks included installing new roofs, updating kitchen facilities, ensuring ADA compliance, upgrading electrical systems, repointing masonry, restoring windows, and other surface renovations. Because the project will be complex, lengthy, and time intensive, PCT will serve as project manager to ensure that the project is completed in a timely and efficient fashion and in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards. The restoration of eight historic sites around Washington Park is expected to generate hundreds of construction jobs in this area over the next five years, as PCT will mandate that contractors employ individuals from the local community. The total projected cost for the project is close to $6.2 million. PCT also hopes to help the churches raise private funding for additional work.
In July 2022, PCT applied to the State for CIF2030 funding. That application was rejected, but support from former City Council Representatives, Mayor Ganim, and numerous church members encouraged us to press on. The State provided positive feedback but stressed the need for more information on how the project would not just support but also expand the churches’ initiatives. In the fall of 2022, we engaged the community in gathering statistical data and anecdotal experiences. With this additional information, we revised our project scope, budget, and overall application before resubmitting. Unfortunately, we encountered another rejection in January 2023.
We don’t give up that easily. But the question is, how do we move forward? First, we need support from members of Bridgeport’s legislative delegation—and not only support but input on how this project can take shape and coincide with others. Meanwhile, PCT is persistently refining the project scope and strengthening the application. In the meantime, we still can offer Maintenance and Repair Grants and Technical Assistance Consultancy funding for planning and urgent capital projects. Thanks to the generous contribution of Trustee Edward F. Gerber, we have allocated the time of our newly appointed Edward F. Gerber Fellow, Anna Fossi, to this project. Anna is not only working with the community but also conducting research on the history of the area and its significance. Furthermore, we are planning to hire a part-time community outreach coordinator to support our team in advancing the project with the help of Bridgeport community members and representatives.
Preservation CT’s mission is to preserve, protect, and promote the buildings, sites, and landscapes integral to the heritage and vitality of Connecticut communities. By supporting churches that provide essential services, we not only fulfill our mission to the highest standard, but we further the churches’ missions to improve the lives of the needy, the underprivileged, and those forgotten by society.
By Michael Forino
Update: Don’t Wait until it’s too Late
Six months ago, PCT reported on its efforts to secure state funding for essential repairs to landmark churches around Bridgeport’s Washington Park. That report was also a call for state-wide action, to prevent “…decay, abandonment, even catastrophic structural failure” of historic church buildings across our state.
What many considered to be hyperbole is now reality. On January 25th, Connecticut lost one of those historic churches to catastrophic structural failure. It is a fate that other churches will share if we do not collectively find a solution.
While we are grateful that no one was injured, the sudden loss of the mid-nineteenth century First Congregational Church of New London gives us a small glimpse into how devastating another failure might be.
It is not just human life and safety on the line. The church was an irreplaceable part of the city’s history, landscape, and culture. It cannot be replicated.
Moreover, like many churches across our state, the physical structure was a refuge from the social and cultural ills of our world. In that historic
First Congregational/Engaging Heaven church collapse. Photo credit: City of New London Facebook page
space, congregants of the Engaging Heaven Church, along with the predecessors, fed, clothed, and counseled people who were vulnerable and had nowhere else to turn. Where do they turn now?
Update on Grant Application: In December 2023, PCT Staff submitted a third application to the CIF 2030 grant to conduct capital repairs to the churches around Washington Park in Bridgeport. We are hopeful of success but we are also aware that this grant would only scratch the surface. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of historic churches in our state that provide essential social services to their communities. These buildings need to be preserved as a part of our shared history, but they also need to be made safe for the people who occupy them. The answer to at least some of these problems is simple: much more public and private attention and investment must be spent on our historic houses of worship.
If your church is experiencing a concerning issue, please reach out to PCT staff.
You can help! Visit our Washington Park page. Stay tuned for our evolving efforts on helping historic churches across the state.