Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church/The Irondale Center for Theater, Education, and Outreach

1862 - present

The Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church was commissioned to be built in 1857, by the Park Presbyterian Church. Located on Lafayette Avenue, it was completed in 1862. At its opening, locally respected pastor Theodore Layard Cuyler became the preacher. The intricate Romanesque Revival building became a place of community gathering. In 1976, artist Hank Prussing was hired to add a mural to the church. It was named “Mighty Cloud of Witnesses”, and was based on images of Fort Greene neighborhood life, which he observed closely as he was working on the project. In 2008, The Irondale Center for Theater, Education, and Outreach opened in part of the church. The group puts on experimental performances, and conducts outreach to local youth and social groups.

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Details

Categories
Faith-based institution, Organization/Association
Audience
All Ages
Founder(s)
Brooklyn Park Presbyterian Church members
Tags
arts, multipleuses

Location

  • 85 S Oxford St, Brooklyn, NY 11217, USA
    1862 - present

References

  1. NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission. Fort Greene Historic District: Designation Report. September 26, 1978: 22-23. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=9f9542532f3d24f739765e65275f352732a010bb.
  2. Morrone, Francis. Fort Greene, Clinton Hill: neighborhood & architectural history guide. Brooklyn Historical Society, 2010: 33-36.
  3. Lafayette Avenue Church, its history and commemorative services, 1860-1885. New York: Robert Carter and Brothers, 1885: 7. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.89077221042&seq=38