Politics & Government

St. Paul's Church to Seek National Registry Status

Proposal introduced at Great Neck Plaza Village Hall on Wednesday.

Great Neck's historic St. Paul's Church complex is making a move to become part of the National Register of Historic Places.

The proposal, spearheaded by the Great Neck Historical Commission, was introduced at a meeting of the Great Neck Plaza Board of Trustees Wednesday by village Trustee Pamela Marksheid, a liaison to the GNHC.

Built in 1924, the English revival-style building on Grace Avenue features a slate roof, stained glass windows and a copper steeple. The church is currently a municipal landmark, but not the other buildings in the complex — most of which are in poor condition.

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Church officials are seeking $3,000 in certified local governement grant funding to go along with $2,000 in applicant match funds paid by the village to cover the cost of assessments and repairs needed to the complex before the National Registry application is submitted.

"We're trying to get the money so they can repair the building. Once it's repaired then it would be recommended to the National Historic Registry," said Markshied at Village Hall.

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Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America's historic and archaeological resources.

If approved by the National Registry, the Episcopal church complex would become one of several Great Neck area landmarks to make the list. 

Other area buildings on the National Registry include Saddle Rock's Grist Mill, King's Point's Stepping Stones Light Station, the Plaza's Grace and Thomaston Building and the U.S. Post Office building.

Plaza Mayor Jean Celender favors making St. Paul's both a municipal and nationally recognized landmark.

"We are a certified local government, so that's akin to being a state historic landmark, said Celender at Wednesday's meeting. "Now we want to go for federal."

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