50 Oldest Churches of NYC: New Utrecht Reformed Church

Posted on by Thor

New Utrecht Reformed Church,  1827 83rd Street at 18th Avenue Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York is the fourth oldest Reformed Church in America.

The church was established in 1677 by ethnic Dutch residents in the town of New Utrecht, Brooklyn, several years after the English took over New Netherland (now Manhattan). Previously, the inhabitants of New Utrecht formed part of the congregations of Flatbush, Flatlands and Brooklyn.

The cemetery was consecrated in 1654 with 1300 dead interred there. The earliest recorded burial was in 1654. Members of such notable early Dutch settlers as the Van Pelts, Van Brunts, Cropseys, Cowenhovens and Bennetts are buried there.

During the Revolutionary War the British made New Utrecht their base of operations for the Battle of Long Island, the first large-scale British invasion of the colonies.

The Liberty Pole, the sixth on the site of the present church, was originally erected in 1783 at the end of the Revolutionary War to harass departing British troops. The Liberty Pole marks the spot over which the American flag first waved in the town of New Utrecht. The original pole was erected by our forefathers at the Evacuation of the British, November 1783, amid the firing of cannons and demonstration of joy.”

The present church was built in 1828 of stones taken from the original church, built in 1700. It is a rare example of a rural church in a picturesque setting in New York City. Construction was supervised by US Army engineer, Rene Edward De Russy, who led the construction of Fort Hamilton at New York harbor. The parish house was built in 1892 and the parsonage in 1906. This sketch is of the parish house.

The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966; the parish house and the cemetery received landmark status in 1998. Both the church and the cemetery are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church

Posted on by Thor

Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church 890 Flatbush Avenue at Church Street, Brooklyn, New York, is a historic Dutch Reformed church – now a member of the Reformed Church in America. The church complex consists of the church, cemetery, parsonage and church house.

The land on which the complex sits has been in continuous use for religious purposes longer than any other in New York City. The congregation was founded in 1654 and the original church was built under the direction of Jan Gerritse Strijker at the order of Peter Stuyvesant.

The stone Federal style church building designed by Thomas Fardon was constructed in 1793-98 and is the third church building on the site. The stained glass windows are by Tiffany studios and commemorate the descendants of many early settlers of Flatbush. The building was constructed of Manhattan schist, and the architecture includes Romanesque features such as arched windows and doors. The church’s bell was imported from Holland, and paid for by John Vanderbilt.

The bodies of American soldiers who died in the Battle of Long Island during the American Revolutionary War are reportedly buried underneath the church structure. The cemetery is the last resting place for most of the founding families of Flatbush. The earliest legible grave marker dates to 1754.

The complex was initially designated a New York City Landmark in 1966, with the boundary expanded in 1979. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.