How will the Ossining school district turn a 19th century church into a 21st century performing arts education space, while preserving the building’s historical character?
The answers are being revealed during the design phase for the renovation of the former Ossining Methodist Church on Emwilton Place, which the district purchased in 2022 for $2.4 million.
Plans call for the church to be converted into a Career and Technical Education center with a multifunctional performing arts space in the main room typically referred to as the sanctuary,
The high-ceilinged sanctuary’s sloped floor leading to the altar will be leveled, said Schools Superintendent Mary Fox-Alter.
The church’s immense organ will be protected during construction and restoration options were being explored. Plans call for it to be played during concerts, with a wireless console added.
The room is not being designed with a stage, she said, but rather would feature flexible seating much like a black box theater that could be arranged to accommodate audiences during performances.
Under Ossining’s shared use policy, community theater and performance groups would have access to the room when not in use by the district, she said.
The church’s chapel area will hold classroom space that could also be used as a chorus or instrumental room. The goal is to preserve the chapel’s east-facing stained-glass window.
A third room that once served as an office or a religious education space will become a classroom with dual doors that will open onto the chapel area. The basement will be reserved for storage.
The church building will be connected to the adjacent Ossining High School through a new addition.
The district is on track to bid and construct the church renovation between 2028 and 2030.
The work is part of $67 million allotted for high school renovations under the $210 million bond approved in 2024 by district voters to fund construction of a new school for grades 7 and 8 and create more space at the high school and elementary school.
Bridging Past and Present
The district is working with the architecture and planning firm CPL, whose website touts a design that “incorporates architectural elements inspired by the church, including the creative integration of stained-glass elements that bridge traditional and modern aesthetics.”
CPL’s description reads: “Flooded with natural light and designed to support collaboration, this K-12 project will provide students and teachers with the space, tools and inspiration needed to explore, experiment and excel.”
During the project’s design phase, the team is addressing issues with the building’s roof, ceiling, and supports.
The tin ceiling is being removed and trusses need reinforcement to provide soundproofing and support lighting, rigging and a sprinkler system. Air conditioning and heating needs to be added.
“It’s a gorgeous building as you know,” Fox-Alter said, adding that the focus included ensuring the exterior stonework — including locally quarried Snowflake marble — was re-pointed appropriately. “We’re taking a look at the bell tower and making sure that that structure is appropriate,” she added.
Diligence in this phase will pay off as the project moves forward, Fox-Alter said.
“Right now, this is just a change in the design to reflect these things that we have encountered as we were preparing to develop blueprints for the project,” she said. “The more homework you do at this stage, the more cost-effective it is in the long run.”
The district has received the final OK from the state Historic Preservation Office to move forward with the project, she said. The renovation is a public works project that will go out to bid, she said, and will not be handled by a historic preservation contractor.
Church history
The 1,300-square-foot church building dates from 1885 and was designed by architect Ebenezer L. Roberts in High Victorian Gothic style. It contained some 40 stained glass windows, including an original signed by renowned glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany.
The building is two-and-a-half stories high, with a four-story tower in the southwestern corner that contains three small gables and a balcony, according to documents on the Village of Ossining’s website.
The church was built to house the Sing Sing Methodist Congregation, which had outgrown its space on Spring Street, which was originally known as the Sing Sing Union Chapel. This was at a time when the village was named Sing Sing until changing its name in 1901 to differentiate itself from the prison.
The Tiffany window, titled Te Deum: Christ Enthroned, was sold by the United Methodist Church’s New York Conference prior to the school district’s acquisition, and was on display at the Gelman Stained Glass Museum.
The main sanctuary held 750 in pews made of California redwood that were constructed onsite.
The church’s New York Conference decided to close the church, which was deconsecrated in August of 2019. It had most recently been rented out to Iglesia Mana De Vida Eterna.
An inscription on a historical marker outside the church, which was erected for the 1983 Westchester County Tricentennial, reads: Built of local snowflake marble. Windows designed by Tiffany and J.R. Lamb.
