Save St. Brigid's! Donations Needed!

Part of what comes with being an art historian is an affinity for all things old and meaningful. With the loss of St. Ann's Armenian church to the dastardly NYU housing committee earlier this year, I thought it was high time I put whatever resources I could into helping save structures around the city, like St. Ann's, whose destruction would be an incredible loss to the city and its future generations.

The next building on the chopping block is St. Brigid's church in the East Village. With $7million needed in repairs, the Catholic Church wishes to tear down the beautiful building. But is it really necessary to destroy 158 years of New York history?

With the immigration of so many Irish to New York during the great famine, many workers found jobs down on the docks of the East Village. A temporary chapel was built there for them but soon a larger building was needed. Irish immigrant and architect Patrick Keely was commissioned to design the new church on the corner of 8th st and ave B. The building is currently thought to be the oldest Keely structure in the city. St. Brigid's corner stone was laid in 1848. You can read further about the history of the church at the Save St.Bridgid's website.

On Sunday November 5th, the Committee to Save St. Brigid's will be holding a benefit at Solas in the Village. The fantastic M Shanghai String Band will be playing and I am hoping to drum up some donations to raffle off. So if you have anything you would like to send to me to give away, please drop an email to Kellas@gmail.com and I will give you an address. I am talking concert tickets, cds, signed whatever. Anything you have laying around the office.

Official release:
St. Brigid's Benefit
Date: Sunday, Nov 5, from 6 - 9 PM
Location: Solas (the Irish word for 'light'), a lounge at 232 E. 9th St between 2nd and 3rd Aves., upstairs.(212-375-0297)
The donation at the door will be $10. There will be food and entertainment of various sorts.
Also, we'll be holding a raffle. Raffle tickets will be around a dollar - five dollars.

Download M Shanghai's
'Money Up'
and
'Devil, you and me'