About

The Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of Flatbush is a rarity, having been constructed in 1796 and recognized as an “extremely rare” survivor of rural church architecture designed in the Federal style within New York City. Moreover, the site in which the church stands includes a Pre-Colonial cemetery (owing to the original church’s construction of 1655), a parsonage dating to 1853 and a parish house dating to 1924. Together, this ensemble of buildings offers a distinct sense of place in an area of Brooklyn that is teaming with architectural interest. In fact, beyond the organization’s extensive community outreach through a variety of charitable works, it has also been regularly used as a backdrop for film and television shoots. Intent on leveraging revenue from production, church leadership engaged Gregory Dietrich Preservation to apply for a matching grant to address multiple issues plaguing the church building, including failing masonry and mortar joints, deteriorated wood members affecting the doors, windows and steeple, and various site-related needs. Gregory Dietrich Preservation’s ability to secure a $500,000 matching grant through the New York State Consolidated Funding Application grant program enabled its leadership to address these maintenance issues, thereby ensuring that this rare architectural survivor of Brooklyn’s Federal Era will endure for decades to come.