Ecologies of Faith in New York City: The Evolution of Religious Institutions

8. Navigating Property Development through a Framework of Religious Ecology: The Case of Trinity Lutheran Church

198 8 Navigating Property Development through a Framework of Religious Ecology: The Case of Trinity Lutheran Church Nadia A. Mian 3 Walk through the streets of any city, and the spires, domes, and minarets of churches, mosques, synagogues, and temples are common indicators that distinguish houses of worship from any other building on the street. Architecture identifies religious institutions through their unique physical markers , symbolizing the presence of religion and faith. But what happens when these institutions are no longer recognizable? As buildings age and begin to require extensive repair, congregations are increasingly unable to afford the massive cost of renovation. Coupled with a decrease in religious membership, and constant shifts in neighborhood demographics, they struggle to survive. In New York City, many congregations are faced with the task of learning how to care for their aging structures and, as a result, are turning to property development. One common model of faith-based property development involves tearing down the existing structure and rebuilding a mixed-use facility with the church occupying the lower level of the building and housing located on the levels above. These mixed-use buildings generally meld in with the surrounding environment, and their religious components are indistinguishable. But before development even takes place, what steps are taken to ensure that such property development is best for the church? How do churches organize themselves internally? How is the community taken into account? While the reasons for engaging in development are clear, the process of deciding whether or not development is the right course of action is a more ambiguous. Navigating Property Development 199 In need of serious structural repairs, Trinity Lutheran Church (herein referred to as Trinity), located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, was faced with similar questions as it pursued the quandary of development. This chapter explores the decision-making process the church went through as it decided whether or not to develop its property. The development team, as well as the congregation, understood that as a religious organization the church affects and is affected by its surrounding environment, which includes not only religiously affiliated relationships but also social, economic, and political associations . Trinity had a clear understanding of the local religious ecology, and the demographic, cultural, and organizational environment played a critical role in its decision-making process and heavily influenced the congregation’s final choice not to redevelop its property. In detailing Trinity’s journey, first, I provide an overview of faith-based property development in New York City. Second, through observations and interviews, I narrate the pre-development process the congregation went through as it navigated the world of real estate and negotiated its options in discussions with the congregation, community, experts in the development field, and other churches. Finally, I argue that Trinity’s decision-making process regarding property development comes from an analysis of the demography of the church and community, examination of the church’s own identity and history as a congregation, cooperation with other organizations, and the impact of urban land use policies in New York City. In this particular case, the framework of religious ecology guides my analysis of Trinity’s exploration of its development options. I conclude with some thoughts for expanding on the theory of religious ecology to include the role of agency within the framework. Exploring Faith-BasEd propErty dEvElopmEnt As land in New York is a valuable and scarce commodity, religious institutions recognize that property is a powerful asset they own that can be utilized in various ways to help not only their own struggling institutions but also the community and city. However, religious response to property development has changed over the years, from a social justice orientation to a market-driven response. During the postwar, post-industrial period, the involvement of religious institutions in property development was a social response to the rising welfare needs of urban residents. Religious institutions instigated community development as they responded to the decline of urban neighborhoods, a rise Nadia A. Mian 200 in poverty, and the need for affordable housing. In this tradition, faith-based development has generally been done in three ways: through congregations, faith-based community development corporations (CdCs), or through national denominations (Vidal et al. 2001). Each option focuses on nurturing the needs of a neighborhood through social and economic development. Well-known examples in New York City include Abyssinian Baptist Church and Abyssinian Development Corporation in Harlem, Greater Allen...