Overview
- A fast-moving fire on June 19 badly damaged the 19th-century South Bushwick Reformed Church, collapsing its steeple and leaving much of the building unstable and reduced to rubble.
- FDNY fire marshals have classified the blaze as incendiary and are investigating it as a possible arson, though heavy damage and subsequent demolition activity have made evidence recovery difficult and no arrests have been announced.
- The Department of Buildings ordered removal of the most damaged sections for public safety, then granted a temporary hold and approved an engineer’s plan to spare the parish/Fellowship Hall from full demolition.
- Local preservationists say they were given a short salvage window but found demolition crews had already bulldozed remaining architectural elements and artifacts that they hoped to save.
- The congregation of roughly 50 members is displaced and worshiping online, the church lacks fire insurance, and the loss raises the risk of permanent damage to community history and of further complications for the ongoing investigation.