Issues Raised by Brighton Heights Church Fire

Staten Island's historic Brighton Heights Reformed Church (a designated New York City landmark) was demolished on June 29, 1996, after a fire the previous day. The fire was started by a worker removing paint with a heat gun.

Brighton Heights Reformed Church Response - April, 2002

A meeting was held on June 30th with various community members to discuss some issues raised by the fire and the demolition of the Landmark Church. At the meeting was John Brandkampf, an Elder of the Church; Councilman Jerome X. O'Donovan; Pablo Vengoechea, NYC Landmarks Preservation Commissioner; Theo Dorian and Joe Nebel President and Vice President of the St. George Civic Association; Chan Graham, President of the Preservation League of Staten Island; Monsignor James Dorney, St. Peter's R.C. Church; Ken Lustbader, Landmarks Conservancy; and Terry Troia, Director of Project Hospitality. Also attending were David & Liz Goldfarb, Vita O'Donovan, Linda Jones, David Jones, Christine Mantz, Kathy Galvez, and Mona Mott.

The following issues were raised, among others, concerning the fire and demolition:

• Why was the restoration contractor (Penza) using heat guns on an 1863 wooden structure? Was the use of heat guns included in the application to the Landmarks Preservation Commission?
• At least three witnesses claim there was no water pumped on the fire after the fire trucks arrived for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Why was there no or low water pressure for so long? Why is this being denied by the fire department?
• Why did demolition take place beginning at 5 AM Saturday? Why was no consideration given to shoring up the walls and saving the stained glass windows? Was The Landmarks Preservation Commission involved in an evaluation of whether salvage could take place prior to demolition?
• Why did the City demolition contractor (Russo) remove the Church doors and return them only after the police were contacted and someone identified the truck they were removed in? [Russo states that he had removed the doors for storage in Long Island City].
• Why was the restoration contractor (Penza) back on the site during demolition removing a stained glass window which was then dropped and destroyed?
• What can the community and preservation groups do to help the Church rebuild at the site? Will there be a program and planning phase for the rebuilding where the community can participate? Can the needs of the Church's ministry be met and there still be input from the community and preservationists?

Brighton Heights Reformed Church Response - April, 2002

The Preservation League of Staten Island and the St. George Civic Association appropriated funds on June 30, 1996, to assist in salvaging the Church's stained glass windows.