By Courtney Dentch
A proposal to convert the landmarked First Reform Dutch Church in Jamaica into a theater and community center is slated to go before the city Landmarks Commission later this month.
The $11 million plan was developed by the Cultural Collaborative Jamaica to create a 400-seat performance venue in the vacant church at 153-10 Jamaica Ave. and the design must be approved by the city's designation agency before construction begins, project architect Leonard Franco, of Wank, Adams, Slavin Associates told Community Board 12 at its meeting last week.
“Our goal is to productively reuse this wonderful old building, not as a church but as a community center,” he said. “We want to prepare this building for the next century.”
The First Reform Dutch Church was built in 1858 and designated a city landmark in the 1990s, Franco said. The building is also listed with the state and national registers of historic places, he said. To ensure the building and its architecture are preserved, the city must approve the design plans for the renovations.
“We will comply with the requirements on all levels,” Franco said of the preservation regulations.
The designs call for the church to become a flexible theater space, allowing for its 400 seats to be removed so banquet tables and chairs can be set up, Franco said. About 300 seats will be on the main level of the theater, with another 100 in the balcony, he said.
Dressing rooms will also be built, along with mechanical equipment and a catwalk system to access lighting apparatus, which will be installed in the church attic, Franco said.
An elevator is planned for the smaller of the two steeples to make the renovated building handicap-accessible, and the taller steeple will be filled with office space, he said.
The third floor will feature a state-of-the-art conference center, which can be used the community, Franco said.
The renovations will also return the First Reform Dutch Church to its original glory, he said. The plans call for the restoration of the building facade and windows, including three stained-glass panels facing onto Jamaica Avenue that have been broken by vandals and are now boarded up, Franco said.
“There were few windows worthy of restoration,” he said.
The church's other windows will be returned to their original design — a diamond pattern outlined by lead caning – which was replaced with the current windows in the 1920s, Franco said.
The exterior steps will also get a new, enlarged look, creating an outdoor stage fronting Jamaica Avenue, he said.
Money from the city Department of Design and Construction and the Department of Cultural Affairs has already been promised for this project, said Tyra Emerson, executive director of the CCJ.
“All the funding is in place for the construction,” she said. “The major part of the funding came from the City Council. We also received money from the borough president's office as well as the state.”
If the Landmarks Commission approves the plans, bids for the project could go out by the end of winter, and construction could start later this summer, Franco said. The renovation work is expected to take at least 1 1/2 years, he said.
Although some people were concerned the project could damage the church's historic value, many on Community Board 12, which did not vote on the presentation, were pleased with the idea.
“I'm really excited about this project,” said board member and Jacqueline Boyce. “We have something to look forward to.”
Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 229-0300, Ext. 138.
