The Landmarks Preservation Commission today (April 7, 2026) voted unanimously to designate the Church of Saint Mary on the Lower East Side as an individual landmark.
Parishioners, community members, and preservationists launched a grass roots campaign to secure landmark protection for the church. Saint Mary’s, located at 440 Grand St., was built in 1833, in the Greek Revival style. Thirty years later, architect Patrick Charles Keely was hired to create a new facade in the Romanesque Revival style. The Archdiocese of New York did not oppose the landmark application.
The Commission also voted to designate Public School 15 Annex at 372 Schermerhorn in Brooklyn and the Lithuanian Alliance Building, located at 307 West 30th Street in Chelsea. In a press release, Mayor Mamdani said, “Immigrants built New York City. Their stories live in every block, every neighborhood, every corner of the five boroughs. Today, I’m proud to recognize three more sites that carry that legacy forward—places that, for generations, have opened their doors to newcomers and helped define what it means to belong in the greatest city in the world.”
Lower Manhattan City Council member Christopher Marte (chair of the Council’s Landmarks Committee) added, “Saint Mary’s Church has been part of the life of the Lower East Side for generations, and this vote means that history is finally being recognized and protected. This is one of the oldest Catholic churches in New York City, but more than that, it is a place that tells the story of immigrant New York — of people who faced discrimination, built community anyway, and left a lasting mark on this neighborhood. For a long time, working-class history and immigrant history have not always gotten the protection they deserve. Today’s vote says that this history matters too. I’m grateful to everyone, especially the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative, who helped make this happen, and proud to see Saint Mary’s preserved for the future.”
The Commission’s research brief noted the cultural importance of Saint Mary’s as well as its architectural significance: “The church itself is a striking example of Romanesque Revival architecture, boasting original early 19th-century field stone side walls, an impressive facade and dual towers, as well as late 19th-century stained-glass with elaborate enframements. Saint Mary’s remains an important reminder of the historical and cultural development of New York City’s Lower East Side.”
Saint Mary’s was founded in 1826 to meet the needs of the growing Irish immigrant population in Lower Manhattan. In the midst of native and anti-Catholic discrimination, the first church building on Sheriff Street was deliberately burned in 1831. Patrick Charles Keely, the architect who designed Saint Mary’s updated facade, became a prolific designer of churches in New York and across the Northeastern U.S.
In January, Community Board 3 (CB3) approved a resolution in support of landmarking Saint Mary’s. At a meeting of CB3’s landmarks subcommittee, there was discussion about false rumors that Saint Mary’s might close. When Father Andrew O’Connor was reassigned to churches in Dutchess County, the Archdiocese did not appoint a new priest to lead Saint Mary’s. Instead, Father Thomas McNamara of Our Lady of Sorrows, another Catholic Church on Pitt Street, assumed responsibility for both parishes. Charlie Schleck, co-chair of Saint Mary’s Parish Council. acknowledged that there had been some consolidation for financial reasons but reassured community members that the Archdiocese is still supportive of Saint Mary’s. He added that there is no current use for the rectory building (28 Attorney St.) and a parking lot next to the church, and said it’s possible the parcels alongside Saint Mary’s could be sold at some point in the future. Notably, the landmark designation only includes the tax lot where the church sits, and not the adjacent parcels.
“For two centuries, Saint Mary’s has held a central role for immigrants on the Lower East Side, with new arrivals including the Irish, Germans, Latinos, Asians and others all making their mark,” said Richard D. Moses, president of the Lower East Side Preservation Initiative. “We’re so happy to have been able to work with parishioners and City Council Member Marte to spread the word on the church’s important history, and thrilled that the Commission has now landmarked this spiritual and architectural beacon to make sure it can serve generations to come.”
For many years, local preservationists have urged the Commission to focus more attention on the Lower East Side. In his remarks at the public hearing last month, Moses said, “LESPI requests that the (Commission) take a close look at the Lower East Side from East 14th Street to the Brooklyn Bridge in order to designate more individual landmarks and historic districts before the area’s important and immense history and architecture fall to the wrecking ball.” Mitchell Grubler, a co-founder of Friends of the Lower East Side, echoed these sentiments, saying, “Friends of the Lower East Side is pleased to have the Commission’s attention drawn to our neighborhood and we hope that interest will continue to result in future considerations of both individual designations as well as historic district designation.”
Two other community members were included in the press release from Council member Marte’s office. Sandra Strother (Chair of Community Board 3’s Landmarks Committee) said, “I am ecstatic that LPC voted to landmark Saint Mary’s Church. This is absolutely the right thing to do. Saint Mary’s is a treasured part of our neighborhood, and protecting it means protecting an important piece of the Lower East Side’s history for future generations.” [Strother is also president at the resident association at Grand Street Guild, the housing complex that surrounds the church.]
Local resident and activist Norma Ramirez said, “I’m so glad to see this finally happen. Thank you to everyone in the community who signed petitions and stood together to protect Saint Mary’s Church. This victory belongs to all of us, and I also want to thank Council Member Marte for his support throughout this effort.”
Editorial note: The Lo-Down previously reported that the LPC voted to designate Saint Mary’s immediately following the public hearing March 10. The vote did not occur until April 7.
