Newburgh’s Baptist Temple Church received a $6,000 grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy to help fund brick masonry and roof repairs. This grant is part of the conservancy’s Sacred Sites program.

The total cost of the church’s project for brick masonry and roof repairs was a little over $13,000. The funding was received from the June 2019 grant cycle.

The Sacred Sites program is privately funded. It provides congregations with matching grants for planning and implementing exterior restoration projects, technical assistance, and workshops. Since 1986, the program has pledged over 1,493 grants totaling more than $11.1 million to almost 805 religious institutions state-wide. The program has two grant cycles; one in June and the other in January.

Twenty-five sites applied to be part of the June 2019 grant cycle but only 22 sites received grants. Most of the sites funded were churches but two synagogues were funded. Typically, the Sacred Sites program seeks to fund all applicants, but only 22 could be funded this cycle.

“Our grant program is available to any religious institute of any time,” said Ann Friedman, Director of the Sacred Sites program. “There are more churches than any other types of religious buildings and institutions located on the national register. So, we tend to get more churches [that apply].”

In a heavily religious city like Newburgh, sites like the Baptist Temple Church serve as community anchors. According to Friedman, the church is located in a national register historic district, making the program eligible for the grant program. Another eligibility qualification is that the site has to be a locally designated landmark.

The church is a feature of Newburgh’s East End Historic District. The church was built in 1890, it has a two-story brick gabled facade with an adjoining bell tower. The Norman style bell tower is pierced with large lancet openings and topped with a crenellated parapet.

Community programming such as 12-step meetings and concerts reach about 6,500 residents a year. The church fosters a sense of community for individuals all throughout Newburgh.

“[Religious sites] are incredibly important to the social fabric of communities like Newburgh,” said Friedman. “This church has 100 members but it’s serving over 6,000 community residents with their various community programs throughout the year.”