Steve Cuozzo's Prayers Are Answered

And so are mine.

I mentioned in an earlier post that Steve Cuozzo of the New York Post, who writes on New York real estate and is not anyone's idea of a preservationist, had written a column about the impending demolition of a former Presbyterian church in Manhattan, in favor of yet another high-rise hotel development.  The church had meaning to Cuozzo because, in an earlier stage of his career, he had worked there as an administrative aide when the church was being used as a performing arts center.

I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that even Cuozzo, who normally takes a 1-percenter's view of real estate development, could find room in his heart for being sentimental about a piece of old New York.  Which is why I'm happy to join him in reporting that the developer has decided to incorporate part of the church's facade into the new hotel.

Perhaps most impressively, as reported by Cuozzo, the developer is doing this out of recognition that preservation can add financial value to a project.  It's what preservationists such as myself have been saying for years.  Let's hope and pray that more and more developers recognize this--and soon.