St. Stanislaus Kostka Church
607 Humboldt Street | Greenpoint | built 1920
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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.
- 1894
Father Leon Wysiecki buys ten lots at Driggs Avenue and Humboldt Street for a Polish parish
On October 12, 1894, Father Leon Wysiecki paid $15,500 for ten lots at the corner of Driggs Avenue and Humboldt Street, the ground where the church stands today. The tract sat in an area with a strong German Protestant presence, and one account says he used an intermediary until the last stage of talks with the German owner, then arrived in person speaking fluent German. The parish dates its founding to 1896.
Source: ststanskostka.org
- 1904
St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, a Gothic building with twin towers, is dedicated on its patron's feast day
Father Wysiecki signed the contract for the church in 1903, and work began on July 1; the $75,000 price was a staggering sum for the parish. The bishop dedicated the cornerstone on October 4. By November 13, 1904, the feast of St. Stanislaus Kostka, a Gothic church with twin towers stood finished, with room for 1,250 worshippers: 1,000 in the main section and 250 in the choir lofts.
Source: ststanskostka.org
- 1921
A fire wrecks the sanctuary and wooden main altar days after the parish's 25th anniversary
On December 15, 1921, only a few days after the parish's silver jubilee Mass, fire broke out in the church and devastated the sanctuary and its wooden main altar. The parish history blames a cracked candle glass. The bishop let the parish borrow $40,000 for repairs, and the cycle of fundraising began again for several months of 1922.
Source: ststanskostka.org
- 1922
Parishioners revolt against founding pastor Leon Wysiecki, who leaves for Poland
In September 1922, discontent erupted into a full-scale revolt against Father Wysiecki. A small group of nationalists broke away to form an independent Church of the Resurrection. Wysiecki left for Poland and resigned that December. The Bishop of Brooklyn turned to the Vincentians in 1923 to take charge of the parish, and they remain there today.
Source: ststanskostka.org
- 1969
Karol Cardinal Wojtyla of Cracow spends five or six hours at the parish and concelebrates Mass
Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, Archbishop of Cracow, reached the parish on September 29, 1969, coming from Doylestown, Pennsylvania, with Polish bishops. Brooklyn's Bishop Mugavero and other diocesan bishops greeted him. After dinner he concelebrated Mass with the Polish bishops and six Polish priests, then spoke to the congregation in Polish and English and met parishioners and nuns.
Source: ststanskostka.org
- 1978
The parish celebrates the installation of Pope John Paul II, and the area in front is named for him
Under pastor Father Józef Szpilski, the parish organized a Brooklyn observance of Pope John Paul II's installation, which took place on October 29, 1978. The celebration ended with the naming of the area in front of the church as Pope John Paul II Square. Szpilski had become pastor on February 18, 1973.
Source: ststanskostka.org
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