St. Patrick, Kent Avenue, demolished

In early January of 2024, wrecking crews attacked the church of St. Patrick on Kent Avenue, corner of Willoughby Avenue. Please see the article on the BKReader linked here. The church, designed by Patrick Keely, was built in 1856. Even after the merger with St. Lucy  parish, it apparently had low attendance. The diocese of Brooklyn or one of its entities received $9,250,000 from the sale. Adjacent lots added to that price.

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An article in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle of November 5 1854, describes the laying of the cornerstone. The article gives the architect's name as James J. Lyons.

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Also see a Patch article HERE.

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Please see more of my posts about this church on Kent Avenue. They are linked HERE.

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It seems that the closest Catholic church with daily Mass is Sacred Heart at 32 Clermont Avenue, a mile northwest of St. Patrick's. See Mass schedule.

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As to what will be built on the northwest corner, replacing the demolished church: maybe apartments similar to those on the northeast corner, with provisions for sukkah or sukkot.

St. Patrick, Kent Ave., for sale

Usually, it is easy to find diocesan decrees on a website, but in this case I can only refer to a July 18, 2022, Tablet article behind a registration wall HERE.

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In 1856, the renowned architect Patrick Keely built St. Patrick's church on the northwest corner of Kent Avenue and Willoughby Avenue. In 2010, the nearby parish of St. Lucy was merged into it. Now, the church is falling down, and in June the Bishop decreed its sale. Among the several reasons for my guess that the buyer will demolish it is the growing Hasidic community nearby.

Please refer to my older post.

St. Lucy - St. Patrick, Kent Avenue

Please read this decree concerning the merger of this parish into that of Mary of Nazareth, 41 Adelphi Street, effective January 31, 2011. The name of the parish is Mary of Nazareth, but the name of the church at 41 Adelphi Street is Sacred Heart. It is about a mile west of St. Patrick's.
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Note the 1843 date on the sign, ten years before the creation of the diocese of Brooklyn. According to John Sharp in "History of the Diocese of Brooklyn," vol. 1, p. 113, Catholics in this neighborhood "on the Newtown Road" (Flushing Avenue) purchased a Methodist church near what is now the intersection of Kent and Willoughby Avenues, and named their church St. Mary's. Bishop Hughes of New York sent them a pastor. About 1849, the parish was renamed St. Patrick's. The church shown below was dedicated by Bishop Loughlin of Brooklyn in 1856, three years after the diocese was created.



At the corner of Willoughby and Kent Avenue stands this church built in 1856 by the famous architect Patrick Charles Keely. My photos date from March, 2005. However, please also see this link
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In August, 2023, Brownstoner predicts that the church will be demolished. Yes,  it was demolished by the new owners in January, 2024.

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In the block adjacent to the left side of the church (that is, going downtown on Willoughby Avenue) is the historic property of the convent and orphanage of the Sisters of Mercy. The place is far more than historic; it is was important to many families for more than a century. A New York Times article is linked here.




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