Church Conversions

In Weston, Connecticut, about an hour-and-a-half drive from NYC, you can buy this amazingly converted church for $865,000, the price of a very tiny one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan. Built in 1890, the former Swedish church has been transformed into a quirky yet beautiful single-family home, complete with stained-glass windows, cathedral ceilings, and wooden ceilings beams. At 2,382 square feet, it has three bedrooms, plus a lovely rear patio.
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For $3M, live in the original bell tower of this historic Hoboken church

All photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens

November 25, 2020

For $3M, live in the original bell tower of this historic Hoboken church

By Devin Gannon

All photos courtesy of Brown Harris Stevens An apartment inside a historic church building in Hoboken is now asking $3.05 million. Constructed in 1890, the Romanesque Revival First Baptist Church at 901 Bloomfield Street was converted into a luxury condominium, known as The Raphael, in 2017 with just six residences. The available unit contains three bedrooms, three and a half baths, and a studio loft in the building's original bell tower. While the conversion led to sleek modern interiors, stunning unique details, including the double-height ceilings and arched windows, were preserved.
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$1M Carroll Gardens condo mixes historic church details with mid-century vibes

Photos courtesy of The Corcoran Group

August 20, 2020

$1M Carroll Gardens condo mixes historic church details with mid-century vibes

The landmarked South Congregational Church in Carroll Gardens was built in 1857 in the Romanesque Revival style. Located at 360 Court Street, it was converted to condos in 2008. Many of these residences, like this one-bedroom duplex, retain original church details like stained glass windows and vaulted ceilings. But this 880-square-foot home also has been thoroughly modernized with a cool, mid-century vibe. It's currently listed for $999,000.
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Distinctive Homes

Photo Credit: Al Siedman of VHT, courtesy The Corcoran Group

March 12, 2020

In a former church, $2.75M Brooklyn Heights co-op has cathedral ceilings and stained glass windows

Original stained glass windows, 23-foot vaulted ceilings, and cathedral-like arches--this incredible Brooklyn Heights c0-op has all the heavenly features you'd hope for in a church conversion. Located at 99 Clinton Street, the 1850 church was turned into residences in 1980, and this $2,750,000 unit is perhaps its most spectacular.
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Distinctive Homes

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

Photo credit: Matt Vacca courtesy of Compass.

October 30, 2019

This landmarked English Gothic Harlem church seeks a $6.25M buyer to create its next chapter

New York City's church conversions always draw interest and curiosity; whether they symbolize tranquility–or just offer a unique setting that often includes stained-glass windows with heavenly light and miles-high cathedral ceilings–they transcend the ordinary. This historic, landmarked Harlem church, built in 1897, is now on the market for $6.25 million. Home to the Greater Metropolitan Baptist Church since 1985, the building is zoned residential, so, according to the listing, it can become a single-family home. Built in the English Gothic style and first dedicated as St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church, the house of worship is a reflection of the neighborhood's many layers of history. The listing calls on "sophisticated buyers and developers" to seize the chance to be responsible for the next chapter in the life of this neighborhood icon.
From 80-foot spires to a classic church basement

26-story boutique office building planned on top of Calvary Baptist Church on Billionaires’ Row

Photo via Wikimedia

October 7, 2019

26-story boutique office building planned on top of Calvary Baptist Church on Billionaires’ Row

By Devin Gannon

Developers are planning to build a massive office project on top of a Billionaires' Row church. The Real Deal reported on Monday that Alchemy and ABR Investment Partners have partnered to buy properties owned by Calvary Baptist Church at 123-141 West 57th Street. The proposed boutique office building would rise 26 stories atop church space and sit next to Extell Development's supertall, One57.
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New Developments

October 1, 2019

This heavenly Brooklyn Heights duplex in an 1850 Gothic church asks $1.95M

Real estate is almost on a par with religion for many New Yorkers, and this $1.95 million co-op in a 1850 Gothic church at 99A Clinton Street in the heart of Brooklyn Heights could be the answer to your prayers. The stunning stone church was converted to a 10-unit co-op in the 1970s.
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Distinctive Homes

February 8, 2018

For $1.6M, a historic upstate church-turned-music venue can be your personal house of worship

This historic 19th century building was once home to a German Lutheran church--and now it's the site of a super-cool live music venue and recording studio in upstate New York. Located in the charming town of Hudson, at 21 North 6th Street, the space now offers a buyer some unique opportunities. At an ask of $1.59 million, the listing says, "with certificate of occupancy allowing for both commercial and residential use, this remarkable property can also be reimagined and adapted for any number of commercial uses like a concert hall or an event space, a live and work space for artists, or a phenomenal private residence." One thing's for sure, the bones of this former house of worship--including everything from a spiral staircase to stained glass--are unbeatable.
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November 27, 2017

Built into a stone ledge, this historic Hudson Valley church is a live-work fairytale

This unusual property has an enchanted background even before you see it: Situated in the Hudson Valley between the towns of New Paltz and Kingston, built into a stone ledge above the Wallkill River at the mouth of the Sturgeon Pool, this former church made of hand-cut stone dates from the 19th century. With an industrial past behind it, the 7,000 square-foot building is now used as a multi-level living and working space, with a three-story tower, balconies, an indoor fire pit and three bedrooms within, surrounded by lush gardens, water views and an outdoor grill. It's also for sale, asking $799,000.
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Stunning church details were woven into this $3,925/month Bushwick rental

This 1890s brick church and school, located at 626 Bushwick Avenue right in Bushwick, has gotten a second life as a new development rental known as the Saint Marks. The church details aren't all extinct, with brickwork and vaulting in some of the apartments. This two-bedroom unit is one of the most stunning in the building--and it's now asking $3,925 a month. The top-floor location means that the elaborate arched ceilings decked out with mosaic tilework and carved wood tower above this lofty pad.
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Distinctive Homes

June 13, 2017

For just $515K, an 1890s upstate church renovated into a unique single-family home

A full and careful renovation has transformed this historic, 1890s church upstate into a single-family residence. When we say unique, we mean it--details like large stained glass windows, arched doorways, wood floors and exposed brick all hint at the church’s previous life. A stunning main room with soaring ceilings--the former sanctuary--is just waiting for a designer to transform it into an incredible living space. Located in Philmont, New York, a small town about two-and-a-half hours outside of New York City, this house-of-worship turned home is asking a modest $515,000.
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April 1, 2017

A $1.5M modern condo lives inside this historic 1850s Brooklyn church

401 Hicks Street in Cobble Hill was originally St. Peters Church and Academy, built in 1858. In 2005, like a lot of churches around Brooklyn, the historic structure went residential. Now, this two-bedroom condo is up for sale here and you wouldn't necessarily guess it's located inside a former church. The unit lacks details like stained glass--which you often see in church conversions--and it's got a fun, modern aesthetic that feels more "Brooklyn" than "house of worship." It's asking $1.525 million.
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Distinctive Homes

October 28, 2016

Church details adorn this $6.35M triplex condo in Gramercy

The St. George’s Church conversion, at 205 East 16th Street in Gramercy, did an amazing job of preserving church details as well as integrating them into residential units. Now known as the Abbey Condominium, it's not unusual for these luxury units to boast stained glass, pews or wrought iron lantern lights. This triplex, which has just hit the market, is decked out with remnants from the church--even in the apartment's solarium--and it's asking $6.35 million.
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Distinctive Homes

September 26, 2016

Landmarked church in Boerum Hill gets transformed into a modern-industrial home

By Rebecca Paul

This landmark-district building in Boerum Hill was most recently a church, and before that a warehouse. The design team at Delson or Sherman Architects recently led the conversion of the property into a modern home that pays homage to both of these former incarnations by leaving raw materials visible while creating a bright and open floorplan.
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Distinctive Homes

June 8, 2016

Last Apartment Left at Gothic Revival Church in Fort Greene Asks $8,200/Month

Gothic Revival church turned luxury rental apartment: only in New York. That's the story behind 232 Adelphi Street, a majestic Fort Greene church built in 1888. It fell into disrepair before being converted into 12 apartments in recent years. This is the last apartment left empty and it's a pricy one. It's also big: an 1,800-square-foot duplex with two bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, all accessed via a private entrance.
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Distinctive Homes

March 31, 2016

26-Foot Ceilings and Stained Glass at This Brooklyn Heights Church Turned Condo

If the idea of living in a former church intrigues you, there are plenty of options on the market. Just yesterday, 6sqft featured a $3 million Williamsburg condo with soaring cathedral ceilings. But the 26-foot ceilings at this $6,900/month Brooklyn Heights church turned condo are some of the most spectacular we've yet to see in the residential realm. Located at 99 Clinton Street in the old Presbyterian Church, the architecture is downright holy, with many of the 19th century cathedral details like stained glass windows incorporated into the interior. And the exterior still boasts its historic stone facade.
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Distinctive Homes

March 30, 2016

$3.3M Williamsburg Condo in a Converted Brick Church Has Soaring Cathedral Ceilings

When this listing calls this condo "one of a kind," they aren't kidding: This apartment was carved from the former Pentecostal Church at 541 Leonard Street  in Williamsburg. (These day's it's not at all uncommon for religious buildings to go residential.) The building holds three apartments total, all with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, boasting keyed elevator access, 20-foot wood-beamed ceilings and access to private outdoor space. This particular apartment is now on the market for $3.3 million.
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Distinctive Homes

March 18, 2016

$850K Architect-Designed Clinton Hill Condo in a Gothic Cathedral Is Just as Cool on the Inside

It's hard not to stare in awe at the impressive building at 555 Washington Avenue on the northeast corner of Atlantic and Washington Avenues near the border between Clinton Hill and Prospect Heights; the spectacular Gothic cathedral–fittingly known as Cathedral Condominiums–was built in 1914 as a seminary and converted to condos in 1988. The building's gargoyles and cathedral windows make it the kind of place it's hard not to try to imagine coming home to. This one-bedroom-plus-loft "duplex" apartment would be a nice place to call home in any building, but the fact that it's tucked away in this one makes it that much more special. While the interior is neither Gothic nor solemn, custom details, four distinct living areas and a great design eye make this feel like a find at $850K.
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September 22, 2015

Jude Law’s Former Greenwich Village Penthouse in Gorgeous Church Conversion Asks $12.5M

Remember all that hoopla over Jude Law flinging fruit from his Greenwich Village penthouse onto ogling NYU students? Well, here's where it happened, ironically, in a former house of worship. Built in 1860 as a Methodist church, 135 West 4th Street underwent an incredible condo conversion by FLAnk Architecture in 2006, where they beautifully preserved original church features such as stained glass windows and exposed beams, but added all the modern luxuries an A-list celeb would want. The aforementioned penthouse first sold for $6 million to entrepreneur Mark Kress and was then listed for resale for $8.5 million in 2009. It ended up selling the following year for a much-reduced $6.3 million, and then found a renter in Jude Law. Now, the duplex is back on the market asking $12,495,000, and it can be all yours (assuming you keep your orange lobbing at bay).
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August 18, 2015

‘Exceptional Quirks’ and Reclaimed Materials Abound in This Historic Williamsburg Church Conversion