BUSHWICK — THE CAUSE OF Friday’s fire that destroyed a historic church in Bushwick is still being investigated, the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
The FDNY told reporters from News 12 Brooklyn that the fire broke out around 1:20 p.m. on Friday, destroying the wood frame building that had been constructed in 1853. The church, which was originally named South Bushwick Reformed Protestant Dutch Church, was considered one of the neighborhood’s oldest surviving houses of worship and served Dutch and German immigrant families.
During its 173 years, the church had also withstood through other catastrophes, including arson-related fires during riots in the 1970s and 1980s, a tornado that ripped through the neighborhood in 2006, and Hurricane Isaias six years ago. The church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and its steeple was both a compass guide and landmark to Bushwick’s local geography.
The church’s website defines its community as “a loving multi-generational and multi-cultural worshipping community,” and also identifies as “non-traditional.” Rev. Dr. James E. Steward II, pastor since 2013, held services online last Sunday.
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