By Gus Saltonstall and Laura Muha
A church site on the Upper West Side is set to sell for nearly $100 million and be converted into housing, as first reported by Crain’s New York.
The Roman Catholic Church of Holy Name of Jesus and Saint Gregory will sell its property at 200 West 97th Street, along Amsterdam Avenue, to developers, Rockefeller Group and Atlas Capital Group, for $96 million, contracts show.
The developers will construct mixed-income housing on the block, as the new building will replace the old school and convent building at the Upper West Side church site, and also include a retail space on Amsterdam Avenue. The church building and rectory will remain, and in addition, the parish will gain approximately 9,500 square feet of dedicated space for classes, meetings and community outreach programs, according to Crain’s.
The deal, which is expected to close this spring, falls under an incentive program that gives tax abatements to developers who agree to set aside a certain percentage of the housing for lower-income residents, in this case, 25 percent. The other units of the new building will be market-rate.
There are no details yet on how large the address will be.
“We are proud to partner in delivering much‑needed housing to the Upper West Side,” Rockefeller Group and Atlas Capital Group said in a joint statement about the deal.
The Rockefeller Group says its mission is “to develop, own and operate extraordinary properties,” and does not have any current buildings on the Upper West Side. On the other side of the partnership, Atlas Group describes itself as a “full service real estate investment, development and management firm,” and owns 601 West 110th Street, which is the building on the corner of Broadway that was connected to the longtime sidewalk shed that came down this past summer, which had swathed multiple businesses along the avenue for nearly five years.
You can read more about the $96 million church deal — HERE.
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Wasn’t that church supposed to be the new location of the children’s museum?
No, the Children’s Museum is moving to the corner of 96th and CPW, which was formerly the home of the First Church of Christ, Scientist.
The Children’s Museum of Manhattan is moving to a new, larger location at 361 Central Park West (at 96th Street) on the Upper West Side. The new 80,000-square-foot facility, a renovated historic church, is expected to open in 2028.
The current CMOM is on my block and, I believe, ironically, is also in a building that used to be a church. I wonder what is planned for the current CMOM space when the museum moves to its new location.
Hmm, I hadn’t thought of that. I hope it’s something useful that serves the community, and that we don’t have to wait 10 years for it, lol.
No meddling tenant and helpful politicians to protest, sue, pontificate, guilt-trip, and otherwise “lead”?
Unlike this church, West Park is landmarked. That is why there is opposition to its sale and demolition – which would actually look very much like what is happening here: the developer of the West Park property would also maintain or build a sanctuary and other worship space, as well as additional space for the church’s programs, within the new building.
😂👌
I do not believe that this church has been landmarked. It’s just like any other building.
“The church building and rectory will remain …”
No politicians decided to landmark the building against the wishes of the church? Guess they’re too scared to take on the Catholic church.
St. Paul and St. Andrew was also landmarked against the wishes of the church, its trustees, its board, and its congregation. Thankfully, for reasons too long to go into here, they were able survive the landmarking (like West Park, SPSA needed millions of dollars of repair: people may forget that its bell tower, too, was surrounded by a sidewalk shed and scaffolding for years), and ended up thriving through sheer force of will (plus some powerful and well-connected trustees and their access to both wealthy individuals and elected officials).
It is actually quite ironic that the Center – which used to be at West Park, and spawned the majority of the opposition to the demolition of that church – has found a new home at SPSA.
Not yet! But just give the NIMBY’s some time, I’m sure they’re working on it.
UWS Dad,
Might a new garage be OK?
Or a senior residence?
If the answer is no, would that be a “NIMBY” label?
ah the suburban transplants dubbing any concerns as NIMBY
The Catholic church receiving 96 million from an asset management firm that will demolish a convent to build housing for tax incentives is about as Kafkaesque as it gets
The Church, Holy Name of Jesus Christ and St. Gregory The Great Parish, isn’t leaving. The buildings next to it that are owned by The New York Archdiocese is being sold. The Church and its rectory will remain at there location on the corner of 96th and Amsterdam.
The owner of a building that is no longer serving its purpose is selling it to a new buyer, who will build new homes on the property because we are in the middle of an unprecedented housing shortage. “Kafkaesque” is making something simple, common, and good sound like some kind of convoluted conspiracy.
lol simple he says
Have to pay litigation costs somehow.
The Catholic diocese has been consolidating their city holdings for quite a few years now. Going by the experience of a friend who was active in her UES parish, the decisions are based on financial considerations rather than the interests of the parishes. I thought that the church and the school were thriving, but obviously the lure of $96M was too tempting.
After posting this I read a more extensive discussion in Our Town UES. From the article: “The Archdiocese of New York has increasingly sold real estate in recent years to help fund settlements for clergy sexual abuse survivors amid ongoing financial pressures.”
Excellent news!
25 percent in what was until recently once an entirely working class area seems like an insult.
It doesn’t provide any housing at all right now.
It also doesn’t bring in an influx of overpriced particle board and cheap granite countertop “luxury” housing to inflate the values of the other housing stock already in the area
Increasing the housing supply inflates the value of other nearby housing??
You may want to refresh yourself on Econ 101 – increasing supply brings prices down.
“increasing supply brings prices down.” There’s theory and then there’s practice, anyone who took classes above Econ 101 can tell you that. When have you ever found increasing supply in New York City ever brought the prices down? The landlords in the area begin to ask for higher prices because they realize others in the area are asking for more so they assume the value of their product will go for more than what the had previously charged. Now the working class family of five with limited options to move, is replaced by the high income earning couple of two who could afford to move literally anywhere else.
1. The practice is that we have been restricting supply, which has raised prices. “Between 2014 and 2021, the city added about half as many homes per capita as Boston, about a third as many as Washington and a quarter as many as Miami.” We aren’t adding any real amount of supply!
2. The UWS is already fully gentrified. It is not an up and coming neighborhood where one new building will make it nice enough to attract a new type of resident. People who have not moved in years have no idea how bad it is out there.
If the new housing is 1) more expensive than existing housing and 2) lower quality than existing housing – why would anyone live there?
Because of smart marketing and rebranding of New York culture through shows like Sex and the City and Girls who convinced a generation of people the entire city was made of Blahnik wearing super earners who never had to worry about money. If only they could just get rid of those dirty poor people we could brunch in peace forever! Quality of life policing anybody?
Actually, we don’t know that.
If you offer $97mm, I’m sure you can snatch the site and then build 100% working class apartments to prevent this grave tragedy.
Once constructed, no doubt generating a steady stream of Amazon delivery trucks and Ubers.
And right by the bike lane….
Is De La Salle Academy, or a branch of it, located in that Amsterdam and 97th St building?
Interesting story about that involving Libya and Khadafi:
https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/nyregion/17about.html?smid=url-share
Didn’t remember this, thanks for posting.
So did Brother Brian move the school to W 43rd Street at some point after 2008?
Thank you! That WAS interesting!
No, they moved to midtown a while ago.
Heartbreaking.
Beautiful building with so much character! I’m sad it will be demolished.
The school creeps me out (former Catholic schoolgirl here!) — But the church is staying, according to the article.
The Crain’s story with all the details about the deal is, unfortunately, behind a paywall.
To get the 96 million back they will have to build at least a 50 story building on that site.
Not really. Zoning laws are still in effect, and given how much the units that are not “lower income (whatever THAT means) will likely fetch, they need not build anything larger than a “normal” 14- to 16-story building.
Right now the temporary children’s museum is by the 5G tower of doom. So is Dwight School’s lower level school. An ironic and insufferably boneheaded placement given that children’s brains are not fully formed and more susceptible to EMF effects.
I thought the current CMOM is on 83rd Street, off Broadway.
I hope thechurch will be paying substantial taxes on their enormous profit. The various governments have provided services tax free for too long.
All religious buildings should not be tax free.
This feels like having your cake and eating it, too:
“The church building and rectory will remain, and in addition, the parish will gain approximately 9,500 square feet of dedicated space for classes, meetings and community outreach programs, according to Crain’s.”
So, there’s still a church and still a rectory,, and the church will “gain” another 9500 sq/ft for classes, meetings, and community outreach. The building is not some architectural marvel, though I’m sure Mark Ruffalo will try to convince us of its great beauty and importance. A non-tax-paying entity (enjoy the entire $97 million, please use it charitably) will give way to some lower income housing, some likely expensive housing, and they will all pay property taxes to support silly things like police, firefighters, roads, shelters, and other city needs.
The developer who wants to buy the West Park property and develop it has promised a similar situation: a new sanctuary for worship, and thousands of square feet of additional space for the church’s programs, within the new building. In fact, when St. Paul and St. Andrew filed a Hardship Application with LPC to sell ITS property to a developer (way back in the 80s or 90s), that developer ALSO made a similar promise. I even saw the renderings of the new property that would have gone there (a normal 14- to 16-story building along WEA and West 86th Street) and it was actually quite stunning, including a gorgeous separate corner entrance to the new church sanctuary. (The residential entrance would have been on WEA.)
I find the headline misleading, since (I believe I’m correct in saying) the church building will remain, just as it is. What is being sold is the building to the north, along Amsterdam to 97th Street and west. toward Broadway. The “church” is not being sold is how I read it; the adjacent building is being sold.
Sad about this. Will interrupt the open skyline. More luxury housing is bad for this particular neighborhood.
No, your local small businesses need more people of all incomes. This is only going to help the neighborhood by adding more stability for your small businesses so we have less vacant stores. . We need a mix here.
“Luxury” is somewhat meaningless description here, all new housing is expensive as the land/construction costs are high. Why would new partially subsidized housing + market rate housing be bad for this particular neighborhood?
Follow the money. It always has been about more money for the Catholic Church.
– Martin Luther
The RC Church will receive $96 million on a tax exempt property. I believe that taxes must be paid. As to the promise of “affordable” housing, most likely a chimera that will disappear as the project moves forward.
Just like the term “affordable housing” (which is often anything but), what exactly does the term “lower-income” mean? When people earning over $100,000 can enter lotteries for “affordable housing,” the term loses its significance and becomes a joke. Similarly, if “lower income” means people earning low six figures, that term, too, loses its meaning.
I would like to know EXACTLY what they mean when they use the term “lower income.”
Great news! Build baby Build!
Does anyone know the status of the building on the northeast corner of 96th and Broadway? I think it’s been bought by a developer. Wondering if there are still tenants in the building.
Sounds like a good plan to me.
I hope the thrift store stays! It’s one of the few thrifts left that’s priced extremely reasonably.
I’m a parishioner at Holy Name. We received notice that the thrift store is ceasing operations permanently after 2/20.
The thrift shop will close Feb 20 – their last day. All items in the shop are 50% off.
That is really sad.
Many people rely on it.