FORT GREENE — INTEGRAS CAPITAL loaned $25.3 million to developer Strekte to refinance debt tied to a planned 27-story, 240-unit residential tower at 144 Felix St. in Fort Greene, to be built above a landmarked former church, Commercial Observer reported.
The financing will pay off $10.5 million in prior construction debt and recapitalize the project. Designed by FXCollaborative and ADP Architects, the tower will include 60 permanently affordable units, along with ground-floor retail and a community facility integrated into the church base. The building replaces the Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church, which closed in 2019. Backers cited the site’s land value and Strekte’s experience redeveloping houses of worship into housing as key to the loan.
The Hanson Place Central United Methodist Church was originally founded in 1857 on the present site at St. Felix St. and Hanson Place. The first building was deemed unsafe in 1927 after nearby subway construction. The current building from 1931 was closed down in 2019. A resolution document submitted to the denomination’s New York Annual Conference Long Island West District shows the Hanson Place congregation merged with that of Grace United Methodist Church on 7th Ave. in Park Slope, effective July 1, 2023. The merged congregation was named Grace-Hanson United Methodist Church.
✰✰✰
