Landmark the Sisters of Mercy Convent!

To:  New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission

Please Save the Sisters of Mercy Convent!

The undersigned request that the Landmarks Preservation Commission landmark the Sisters of Mercy Convent in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn as an important example of an intact nineteenth-century religious complex.

Read the New York Times Article from December 16, 2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/17/nyregion/17convent.html

The Sisters of Mercy Convent is located in Clinton Hill at 237 Willoughby Avenue between Classon Avenue and Taafe Place. The buildings represent an intact nineteenth-century convent complex. The motherhouse on the property was designed by Brooklyn resident Patrick C. Keely, the most important Catholic-church architect in America in the mid-nineteenth century.

The Sisters of Mercy first came to Brooklyn in 1855 and moved into the Willoughby Avenue building in November 1862. A substantial addition, St. Francis of Assisium Female Orphan Asylum, was built in 1883. By 1891 there were 510 girls in residence. Many were taught at St. Francis Industrial School at Kent and Willoughby Avenues.

Now with dwindling numbers and an estimated $20 million in repairs, the convent is closing and may be demolished. This complex is an important part of Clinton Hill and Brooklyn's history. Religious institutions across the city are being demolished and with their loss, neighborhoods are losing significant community anchors. The Sisters of Mercy Convent should not be demolished and can be adapted into any number of uses including affordable housing and community facilities.

The entire complex should be considered for individual landmark designation. The convent is one of 5 properties recommended for Individual Landmark status in the Society for Clinton Hill 2007 Cultural Resource Survey. The recommendation is part of the SCH proposal to expand the Clinton Hill Historic District.

The undersigned urge the Landmarks Preservation Commission to landmark the Sisters of Mercy Convent as an irreplaceable part of our history.

This petition is sponsored by the Society for Clinton Hill and the Historic Districts Council.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Landmark the Sisters of Mercy Convent! Petition to New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission was created by and written by JF Tolbert (savetheconvent@gmail.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.