By Gus Saltonstall
A major chunk of new funding will help the Cathedral of St. John the Divine transform one of its buildings into a community hub for its social services programming.
At the end of last month, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine, on Amsterdam Avenue between West 110th and 113th streets, received $1.5 million in city funding to support a capital campaign to renovate Synod Hall, a historic building on the house of worship’s campus near West 110th Street.
The building, constructed in 1913 by J.P. Morgan, will be transformed into a community hub for Cathedral Community Cares, which is the social service arm of the church that looks to “combat and alleviate poverty through preventative poverty services, education, and advocacy.”
“This renovation will preserve the building’s beauty and historical character, while dramatically increasing its usefulness as a community space,” reads a press release from the Cathedral about the new funding.
The money will be used on reworking Synod Hall’s lower level, equipping it to host a soup kitchen, food pantry, laundry facilities, social work counseling services, and other resources. The initial phase of renovation will also include installing handicapped access to its entrance on West 110th Street, ADA-compliant bathrooms, laundry rooms, and space for dining and meetings.
Future work will also include the addition of a commercial kitchen and an elevator between the basement and ground floor.
Cathedral Community Cares has been in operation for more than 40 years and saw 35,000 visitors to its different programs last year.
“Our current space is just too small to serve the diverse needs of our clients, or to welcome everyone who would like to volunteer,” Cathedral of Saint John the Divine Rev. Canon Eva Suarez said in a news release. “We want to thank Speaker Adrienne Adams and Council Member Shaun Abreu for this incredible support, which will help to allow us to move our CCC operations into a larger space, create a much-needed community hub, and improve our ability to feed and clothe more people.”
Abreu, who represents the district where the Cathedral is located, called the investment into Synod Hall “vital.”
You can find out more information — HERE.
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Sorry to be a downer, any funding is nice, but $1.5 Million is not going to go too far in this town
Great, specific, community oriented use of money for a wonderful group in a beautiful space. Glad the work can be done!
Congratulations Shaun Abreu. Well done!!
What happened to the separation of church and state?
It is a shame that the Episcopal Church worldwide does not support St. John the Divine better with more funding. They let this iconic building flounder.
why does St John the Divine receive funding but the church on 86/Amsterdam stays under scaffolding for 20+ years and waits for the owner to fix it?
(This is a curiosity question, not a criticism…)
What about the land use rental money being paid for the new apartment building ? Is that income not being used to renovate /waterproof the buildings (Cathedral & alll)?
Yeah. I thought those luxury apartment buildings were to help pay for maintaining all the other buildings like Union Theological.
I expect the church and other sources are contributing besides the city.
Hopefully, being on the ground/basement level, this will not lead to another fire.