In June, 2021, an important article appeared on the St. John's University website, mainly describing the recent transference of the original 1869 cornerstone from Brooklyn to Queens. The lengthy article also offered more news about the current construction. Link Preserving History.
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St. John's on Lewis Avenue is a property I have not explored, though it is important in the history of the diocese of Brooklyn. Today, the Commercial Observer disclosed the sale of what the buyers call 800 Willoughby Avenue. That is the north transept of the Church of St. John the Baptist. For decades, the stained glass windows have been boarded up (against rock-tossing vandals), and I am told that a cinder-block bunker was installed in the vast nave as a chapel of worship. Two hundred four apartments will be built in the church. A gym and a two-story garage will be built. A 2013 video linked HERE gives a good idea of the areas outside the "box" with a few glimpses of the active and intimate worship chapel.
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In the ten days since I first posted this I have not found any corroboration of the article in the Commercial Observer. There is a chance that the financial sources don't add up to the amount needed for the deal, or some other obstacle has blocked it. Edit 3.3.2021.
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The article does not disclose how much of the church property has or will be bought. The greatest extent seems to be a half-block, with Lewis Avenue on the west end, Willoughby Avenue on the north, and Hart Street on the south. Two years ago (looking at Google Street View), the entrance was a gate on the north side of Hart Street. Now, the directions for weekday Mass instruct people to enter the Daily Mass chapel from Willoughby Avenue.
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St. John's College was long here until it moved to Union Turnpike, Jamaica. Whether any property on either side of Lewis Avenue is owned by the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentian Fathers) is not explained. The article reads as if the seller is the parish of St. John the Baptist.
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The parish merged with that of Our Lady of Good Counsel, which has a maintained smaller church. The merged parish has a up-to-date website HERE showing two Sunday Masses at St. John the Baptist and two at Our Lady of Good Counsel.
I may have to edit this report as I learn more.
The sale of the property at 75 Lewis Avenue (the name for the contiguous academic buildings that form part of the former St. John's University complex) was performed in part to allow for the Church to restore the St. John's Church building. The repairs are about 75% complete and include replacement of all roofs, cornices, pinnacles, and gutters; restoration of stained glass windows; and restoration of all stone walls. All work is limited to the exterior, the interior repairs are still a ways off from happening.
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