A parking lot on the grounds of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine has emptied out—and so have the parish’s pockets.
The northern parcel of land on St. John the Divine’s campus, a large vacant parking lot bordered by the church and 113th Street, is a massive unused space owned by the cathedral. For almost five years, Columbia University has had the legal option to develop on the site in exchange for a regular fee paid to the cathedral, the landlord of the space.
But according to Stephen Facey,the cathedral’s executive vice president, Columbia legally pulled out of this agreement just before summer began, which, under contract, they had every right to do. Still, the move left behind a tangible hole in the church’s budget, which could prove detrimental, as St. John the Divine is a registered nonprofit organization.
University administrators and spokespeople declined to comment.
Now, a few months into the new fiscal year, Facey said that the parish is operating under a balanced budget—but at a price. The cathedral has laid off around 12 employees at various levels, reduced the pay of top administrators, and cut back spending in several programs.
The loss of funds from Columbia was only one of many factors that recently weakened the cathedral’s financial health. A significant drop in revenue from the University, general recession pains, and a recent doubling of loan obligations for capital projects ultimately forced the church to cut roughly 10 percent of their staff—including a senior administrator, a support staffer, a clergyperson, a communications employee, and an organist.
“There has been a lot of heartbreak here,” Lisa Schubert, vice president of events, marketing, and communications, said of the layoffs. “But we are moving on.”
“We’ve been able to maintain all of our key programs and our key mission components,” Facey added. He explained that many cuts would have occurred regardless of Columbia’s pullout. The parish offered laid-off employees a very substantial severance package.
Other administrators agreed that the staff cuts were devastating but necessary. “There is no doubt that it was enormously difficult,” Reverend Thomas Miller, canon for liturgy and the arts, said. “It was difficult for people who had to make the decision and difficult for people who had to get the news.”
While the cathedral is trying to move on from the budget losses, the empty space of the northern lot now sits in an even greater state of uncertainty with no potential developments currently in the works, according to Facey. He added that the use of the site would be an important part of future fiscal planning.
“We would love to do senior housing in the city, and it is certainly a needed service,” said James Davis, the CEO of Amsterdam Nursing Home, located across the avenue from the cathedral.
Davis and Facey both confirmed that while they have had premature conversations about senior developments on the site, nothing concrete has yet been discussed.
But a deal between two nonprofits may be less than ideal, according to David. “As a fairly small nonprofit, I have to be really careful about how much I stretch my organization,” he said.
Davis added, “We are all stuck in the mud because of the economy.”
For many cathedral administrators, Columbia was not only a fiscal loss, but also a lost development opportunity. Schubert said that she would have liked Columbia to build on the site because she views this neighborhood cathedral as an intersection of mind, body, and spirit—with the University contributing thought and intellect to the mix.
Bruce Neswick, director of music for the cathedral, agreed that the dropped option was both a financial loss and a lost opportunity for productive change. “I was very excited that Columbia had that option going. I like what Columbia has done for this part of the city,” he said.
For Miller, the lot is now just a wasted community space. He said that he would like to see some sort of mixed development with residential structures and shops to mimic a classic cathedral village. He mused that a hotel would also fill a gap in the neighborhood.
But in this market, Facey predicted that it will remain a lifeless lot for quite some time. Neswick said of the lot’s current state, “It’s almost as if it doesn’t exist.”
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