50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Flatbush Reformed Protestant Dutch Church

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.