Maspeth scrambles for new park as St. Saviour’s gets restored

From left: St. Saviour’s site, City Council member Elizabeth Crowley and a rendering of the park that was slated to be built on the site

Desperate for green space in Maspeth, the city wanted to turn the site of a former historic church into a public park, but the New York Daily News reported it will instead pursue land about a quarter of the size of the church site.

The original space was the former home of St. Saviour’s Church, a circa 1847 structure at 57-40 58th Street built by the same architect that designed the Trinity Church in Manhattan. But Queens Borough President Helen Marshal and local Council member Elizabeth Crowley secured $4 million to buy the property and rebuild and preserve the church, whose pieces remain stashed away in two trailers.

That’s forced the Department of Parks and Recreation to look elsewhere for public green space, much to the dismay of park advocates.

Crowley, who coveted the green space at the St. Saviour’s site all along, is concerned that if they don’t secure land soon, the money earmarked for the park will go elsewhere.

As a result the city is in talks with the Martin Luther School to acquire a third of an acre for public park use. But that’s only about a quarter of the size of the would-be park at the St. Saviour’s site. [NYDN]