Help Save Grace Church
Grace Church is on the National Historic Registry
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey and church leadership are attempting to sell and demolish historic Grace Church in order to build a new apartment complex.
The loss of the the 130-year-old Grace Church building will harm Plainfield, and rob the community of a beautiful part of its history.
Grace’s Carillon Donated by the Pittis Family
Grace is home to a 47 bell carillon that dates back to the 1920s. The Pittis Carillon is the part of the Grace Church building used to create beautiful music for the community—is one of the finest in the country, one of only 187 in North America, and one of only four in New Jersey. It should stay somewhere in Plainfield, along with the church’s organ, altar, and other valuables.
Building Assessment
The most recent appraisal, building inspection, and asbestos assessment do NOT indicate that the Grace building is dangerous or hopelessly deteriorated. Placing the Grace site in danger of demolition is NOT the best way to protect the site and the area around it from deterioration.
Plans for the area around Grace Church include housing at relatively high so-called “fair market” rates, with no truly affordable housing for those in Plainfield who are struggling.
The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey needs to show Plainfield how the needs Grace has met up until now will continue to be addressed. The best way of protecting and preserving the Grace site is for the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey to either work with church members to fund and implement plans for maintenance and improvement, or to make a good-faith effort to find a buyer willing to commit in writing to improving the property.
Many buildings like Grace have been repurposed as multi-faith worship centers, community meeting places, art and craft workshops, display venues for artwork, schools, and performing arts centers. The Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey needs to make a good-faith effort to find buyers who are willing and able to make sure the building continues to serve the community.
Hundreds of individuals are expressing concern about the loss of this beautiful historic structure, not a faceless or monolithic organization. While we are very different people with different opinions and personal styles, we are powerfully united in our agreement that harming the Grace church building harms Plainfield.
Call to Action
CALL PLAINFIELD MAYOR MAPP AND BISHOP STOKES!
Mayor Adrian Mapp (908)753-3310
Ask for Mayor Mapp’s support to legally commit to keeping Grace Church from being partially or completely demolished! Ask him to push the Episcopal diocese to keep the carillon and needed community services in Plainfield! Remind him of the city’s obligations to promote preservation, rehabilitation and preservation that serve the interests of the people of Plainfield better than demolition demolition can!
Bishop William H. Stokes of the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey (609)394-5281
Tell Bishop Stokes to stop making false and alarmist claims about the condition of Grace Church, and to preserve the church and its carillon, or find buyers who can and will! Tell him to show concrete plans for keeping the carillon and needed community services in Plainfield! Tell him not to finalize any contract for sale of the church that is contingent upon approval for partial or complete demolition of Grace Church!