First Spanish United Methodist Church
163 East 111th Street | East Harlem | built 1965
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The city photographed every building for its tax records around 1940 and again in the 1980s. NYC Municipal Archives.
Written with AI from the source each entry cites, then fact-checked.
- 1880
A Baptist congregation builds the church at East 111th Street
The church at 163 East 111th Street, at Lexington Avenue, is constructed in 1880 for the Lexington Avenue Baptist Church. It later becomes the First Spanish United Methodist Church. The Landmarks Preservation Commission would cite its cultural significance to the Puerto Rican community, tied to the Young Lords' occupations of the church.
Source: citylandnyc.org
- 1964
A fire destroys most of the church's first floor
A fire in 1964 destroys most of the first floor of the church at 163 East 111th Street, and the building is rebuilt in the mid-1960s. Congregation members later recall that it had only just reopened when the Young Lords took it over in 1969.
Source: citylandnyc.org
- 1969
The Young Lords occupy the church and rename it the People's Church
After the congregation refused the Young Lords space for a free breakfast program, the Puerto Rican activist group took over the church at 111th Street and Lexington Avenue on December 28, 1969. For 11 days they ran it as the People's Church, serving free breakfasts to hundreds of children and offering health clinics, evening classes and dinners. Police entered on January 7, 1970, and 105 Young Lords and supporters were arrested peacefully.
Source: Wikipedia
- 1970
The Young Lords stage a second, armed occupation after Julio Roldán's death
When Young Lord Julio Roldán died in jail in October 1970, the group turned his funeral into a protest that ended in a second occupation of the church, this time armed. To leave without arrest, members took apart their guns and had neighborhood women carry the pieces out of the building in their clothing and handbags.
Source: Wikipedia
- 2018
The city removes the church from landmark consideration
The Landmarks Preservation Commission calendars the church for possible designation in December 2017, citing its cultural significance to the Puerto Rican community. No action follows, and residents are divided over marking the building's link to the Young Lords. The commission removes the church from its calendar on December 12, 2018, when the twelve-month limit expires.
Source: citylandnyc.org
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