Early English settlers founded the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in 1652, but its Elmhurst home is its fifth building since the congregation was established. The current church, built in 1895, has become most known for its stained glass windows. Photo courtesy Michael Perlman
Michael Perlman of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council is all about protecting Queens’ storied past, which is why he found it a no-brainer to help launch a concert series to protect one of the borough’s oldest buildings.
Perlman teamed up with the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in Elmhurst and invited award-winning harpist Tomina Parvanova to perform over the weekend, kicking off a series of events that would help raise money to restore it. Together, he said they hoped to undo some of the damage Superstorm Sandy left behind to the roof and windows of the historic church near the corner of Queens Boulevard and 54th Avenue.
“The church is still experiencing some leaks,” Perlman said. “Also, some of the originally designed windows are buckling and they need to be either replaced or cleaned.”
The concert held Sunday was the first in a series of events that will raise money to help repair portions of the Elmhurst church that were damaged during Superstorm Sandy.
For years, church historian Marjorie Melikian has been working with the western Queens community to secure innovative ways of raising money to keep the historic building standing strong. Perlman said Melikian was more than receptive to the idea of a concert series.
The group’s plan, Perlman said, was to hold a different concert featuring area artists every few months with all proceeds dedicated to repairing and maintaining the building. Its opening weekend was promising and generated an inspiring amount of money, the church said.
Early English settlers founded the First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in 1652, but its Elmhurst home is its fifth building since the congregation was established. The current church, built in 1895, has become most known for its stained glass windows made by British craftsmen Sellers & Ashley, Perlman said.
“It’s very rare walking or driving along Queens Boulevard and seeing a 19th century church with 17th century roots,” Perlman said. “It’s still going strong, but if you’re not funding it on a timely basis, then the architectural features will continue to fall into a state of disarray.”
The Landmarks Conservancy chose the building as one of the city’s most storied and sacred sites last year and put its architecture on full display for a weekend-long open house in May. Its name was included among the ranks of Ridgewood’s St. Matthias Roman Catholic Church, at 58-15 Catalpa Ave.
“Religious art and architecture is perhaps our greatest creative achievement,” said
Peg Breen, president of the Landmarks Conservancy, in a statement last year. “Nowhere in the United States is this better demonstrated than right here in New York with its rich diversity of religions and ecclesiastical buildings.”
Harpist Tomina Parvanova, left, Sira Melikian, church historian Marjorie Melikian, and Michael Perlman of the Rego-Forest Preservation Council, at Sunday’s concert that helped raise funds for the restoration of the historic First Presbyterian Church of Newtown in Elmhurst.
The program helped channel some money towards the church for restoration and technical assistance, but Perlman said there is never enough funding when it comes to a building as old and historic as this one.
Since being recognized by the Landmarks Conservancy, the church was also placed on the National Register of Historic Places with help from Brooklyn native and preservationist Jonathan Taylor. It was only another stepping-stone in what Perlman called an ongoing effort to keep the history alive in the present.
“I feel that time is of the essence,” Perlman said. “I commend the church on its interests in generating funds in creative ways.”
