The fight is over, and the muted millennial tones have won—Park Church Co-op (129 Russell St.) has transformed into a luxury apartment building.
Much of the building’s exterior remains intact, though it now sports a fresh coat of white paint.
Avraham Garbo, along with Dutch entrepreneur and social media influencer Sara Rottenberg, purchased the 5,400-square-foot property for $4.7 million last year. Garbo’s GW Russell LLC officially owns the building.
“From the beginning, the group was committed to preserving the building’s unique character and long-standing presence wherever possible since it’s a building with such a long and meaningful history. They kept the structure as much as possible as is,” Noëlle Cathari, a representative for the project, told Greenpointers.
ADOR Builders leads the construction process, which is still a work in progress.
“The project is still underway; things such as window placements, exterior painting, and interior renovation are all in progress and absolutely not finished yet,” Cathari continued. “Construction is expected to be completed by the end of summer.”
Greenpointers had initially emailed Rottenberg for comment, only to discover that we were blocked from her Instagram account. This author’s personal Instagram (which is not used for Greenpointers business) was also blocked. We reached out to clarify why we were blocked after sending a standard press inquiry and were told that Rottenberg had privatized her social media accounts. Soon after this, the block lifted; Rottenberg’s social media remains private, including a TikTok account she had been using to share an inside look at the renovation process.
The new apartment building represents the culmination of a years-long battle to save the beloved community space. For many Greenpointers, Park Church Co-op was more than just a church—many non-religious members enjoyed the space’s offerings, from food pantries, dance parties, concerts, and drag story hours.
The church’s owner, the Metropolitan Synod of New York, announced plans to sell the space at the end of 2021, citing a dwindling congregation and ongoing financial issues. The community quickly sprung into action and launched a campaign to drum up awareness and ask the State Attorney General’s office to block the sale. A local group attempted to crowdsource the funds to turn the church into a community space. Though a judge had ruled to pause any potential sale and give supporters a chance to make a bid for purchase, the group was ultimately unsuccessful, and GW Equities (the parent LLC of GW Russell) purchased the building.
The church initially appeared to be slated for demolition last year, so thankfully, the structure will remain standing.
What do you make of the new space? The off-center window in the middle is driving Reddit users up the wall. Sound off below.
I was born on Russell St. it’s a shame what money is doing to this neighborhood. I still live in the neighborhood but it’s a shame what money is doing to everyone that do not have those resources. I played in a band that used the space to benefit the ambulance corp. that was up the block.
This is a colossal disaster! What kind of idiot paints brick? This is what happens when you let influencers design.
Sad they painted the church white… and the window placement looks a little bit off, but the construction’s not finished yet so who knows, they’ll still change things.
lol, I kind of get why she’d block you guys if you’re already writing articles about a building that’s still under construction. They probably have other priorities
I’m so happy that they kept the church instead of knocking it down and the white looks kind of good on the block (I live 2 blocks away)
So ugly it’s unbelievable.
“From the beginning, the group was committed to preserving the building’s unique character and long-standing presence wherever possible since it’s a building with such a long and meaningful history. They kept the structure as much as possible as is”
Total garbage!!