City wants $82K from church leveled on 9/11

Tax lien put on 155 Cedar Street, which was crushed in WTC collapse

Former church at 150 Cedar Street and rendering of 130 Liberty Street
Former church at 150 Cedar Street and rendering of 130 Liberty Street

The former site of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, now owned by the city, has been hit with a tax lien of more than $82,000, despite a previous religious exemption.

Following the Hellenic church’s destruction in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, 155 Cedar Street at Greenwich Street was relinquished to the city in exchange for a plot at 130 Liberty Street. Santiago Calatrava has been hired to design a new $20 million holy house on the new site, the New York Post reported.

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The old address still gets tax bills from the Department of Finance, however. According to the Post, the church inexplicably lost its tax exemption in July of 2012. As of now, the vacant parcel is a stage for World Trade Center construction.

The new church’s construction has been delayed past the 2016 goal, as previously reported[NYP, 3rd item]Angela Hunt