Updated 8/1/18
Historic Boston begins the process of purchasing the building and land at 50 Cedar St, ending a nail-biting period of suspected demolition. “The efforts came from all sides. When the owner, developer City Realty Co., filed for demolition of the church in April, the Highland Park community mobilized and filed a petition to designate the building as a Boston Landmark, generating over 2,700 signatures. This action put the building in line for permanent Landmark designation, but it took heavy advocacy from the Boston Preservation Alliance and an injunction filed by Mayor Walsh to prevent imminent destruction. This week, the Walsh administration’s emergency Landmark decision will protect the building permanently from demolition or permanent damage.”
Read the full Historic Boston post here.
Updated 6/19/18
Historic Boston Inc. has agreed to purchase the former St. James African Orthodox Church in Roxbury and work with the community for future plans for the site. Mayor Walsh was “delighted.”
Read the full Globe Article here.
Updated 6/13/18
A hearing was held on June 12, which we attended. The Boston Landmarks Commission has accepted the petition for further study. 50 Cedar St is now a pending Boston Landmark. Visit the Project Page for details about our advocacy.
6/6/18
Neighbors seek historic designation for former African Orthodox church.
A group of residents in Roxbury’s Highland Park neighborhood has launched an all-out effort to save the former St. James African Orthodox Church building from demolition, reports Sandra Larson in The Bay State Banner. Alison Frazee, our director of advocacy is quoted in the article, saying, “We think it’s very significant. It’s significant not only for its own history, but for its role in the community. Anything that’s been part of your neighborhood for so long is part of your story — its role in the fabric of the neighborhood is important.”
Read the full Bay State Banner article.
