New York Landmarks Conservancy awards 22 Sacred Sites Grants to historic religious properties, including St. John's Episcopal Church in Youngstown

The New York Landmarks Conservancy announced 22 Sacred Sites Grants totaling $250,000 awarded to historic religious properties throughout New York – including $3,000 to St. John’s Episcopal Church in Youngstown, to help fund roof and gutter repairs and foundation repointing.

St. John’s Episcopal Church, completed in 1878, is one of only a few Gothic Revival-style, board-and-batten churches in Western New York. The congregation was established in 1759 at the British Garrison of Fort Niagara, just north of the present church. Several windows were salvaged in the 1930s from a church in Ontario, Canada.

St. John’s reaches about 1,000 people outside the congregation through activities such as visits to home-bound members and nursing home residents, two weekly AA meetings, the annual Strawberry Festival, Youngstown Lions Club meetings, and the annual blessing of the animals on St. Francis Day. In partnership with the Diocesan Commission to Dismantle Racism and Discrimination, St. John’s sponsors three luncheon programs.

“Our grants help maintain historic religious institutions that often anchor their communities,” said Peg Breen, president, The New York Landmarks Conservancy. “Our recent grantees have food, cultural and outreach programs that reach well beyond their congregations.”

The Sacred Sites Program provides congregations with matching grants for planning and implementing exterior restoration projects, along with technical assistance, and workshops. Since 1986, the program has pledged over 1,600 grants totaling almost $15 million to 840 religious institutions statewide.

A press release noted, “The New York Landmarks Conservancy, a private nonprofit organization, has led the effort to preserve and protect New York City’s architectural legacy for 50 years. Since its founding, the conservancy has loaned and granted more than $60 million, which has leveraged almost $1 billion in 2,000 restoration projects throughout New York, revitalizing communities, providing economic stimulus and supporting local jobs. The conservancy has also offered countless hours of pro bono technical advice to building owners, both nonprofit organizations and individuals. The conservancy’s work has saved more than a thousand buildings across the city and state, protecting New York’s distinctive architectural heritage for residents and visitors alike today, and for future generations.”

For more information, visit www.nylandmarks.org.