Diocese of New York and Artimus Close on Transaction for Church Renovation and Land Sale in Inwood

The Episcopal Diocese of New York today announced the closing of the sale of property adjacent to the Church of the Holy Trinity in Manhattan’s Inwood neighborhood to Artimus for a future residential development. The deal includes the full renovation of Holy Trinity’s historic parish house and drill hall as the parish’s future home.

Historic view of Holy Trinity Inwood, showing the parish house in the background, and the “temporary” sanctuary, now being demolished, in the foreground.

The historic parish house, built in 1929 to a design by John Russell Pope, had significant deferred maintenance costs. This agreement will provide for its gut renovation to provide a multi-purpose sanctuary and performing arts space, meeting spaces available for use by the Inwood community, and an updated rectory. The parish house will remain under the ownership of the Diocese. Demolition has begun on the modest, originally “temporary,” structure which had previously been used as the sanctuary.

“This transaction will provide Holy Trinity with a building that is viable for many years (including a much-needed new sanctuary), and the local community with valuable new community space,” said the Bishop of New York, the Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche. “The proceeds of the sale will make it possible for Holy Trinity to remain in Inwood, and for the Episcopal Church in upper Manhattan to continue Jesus’s mission of offering loving, liberating and life-giving relationship with God, with all people, and with the whole of creation.”

Artimus was selected as a partner for this venture following a competitive proposal process overseen by Denham Wolf Real Estate Services (www.denhamwolf.com), a real estate services firm that represents and advocates for local nonprofits. This process took into account a broad variety of factors, including the long-term sustainability of the parish, opportunities for community programming in the new space, and renovation of the historic building to provide high quality updated space for the parish.

“We are very pleased to have found in Artimus a partner with a strong record of commitment and sensitivity to the communities in which it works, and long experience of building in Manhattan,” said Holy Trinity’s vicar, the Rev. Jake W. Dell. “We look forward to working with them in the months ahead to ensure that the Inwood community is kept as fully informed as circumstances permit, and that Holy Trinity’s neighbors are treated with every possible consideration consonant with the regrettable but inevitable disruptions of a construction site.”

The Episcopal Diocese of New York (www.dioceseny.org , led by Bishop Andrew ML Dietsche, encompasses 192 worshipping communities in the boroughs of Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island in New York City; and the New York counties of Dutchess, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster, and Westchester. It is a member diocese of the Episcopal Church (www.episcopalchurch.org), which is in turn a member of the world-wide Anglican Communion (www.anglicancommunion.org).

Artimus (www.artimusnyc.com) provides building and construction services to institutions and developers who recognize the value of a partner who works hard and creatively, while finding the best possible solution for each individual project.