Facing mounting debt, Woodside parish lists vacant lot for $6.25 million
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St. Sebastian’s Catholic Church in Woodside. Antony-22/Wikimedia Commons
By David Brand
A 126-year-old Catholic parish in Woodside is selling a vacant piece of land that could help the church overcome its mounting debts.
St. Sebastian’s Roman Catholic Church has listed its half-acre lot at 39-53 57th Street for $6.25 million, and has tapped the brokerage firm Cushman & Wakefield to facilitate the sale.
The parish has accumulated significant debts while operating its community center, swimming pool and athletic fields over the past few years, Sunnyside Post reported. In July, the church laid off seven employees in the wake of a statewide shutdown and faced a $150,000 deficit at the end of August.
In July, St. Sebastian’s was named as a defendant in a Child Victims Act lawsuit filed by an anonymous plaintiff alleging that a former priest sexually assaulted him. Some neighbors have speculated that the sale is intended to help the broader Catholic Church pay off child sex abuse lawsuits, but the diocese that oversees Catholic churches in Queens and Brooklyn said that is not the case.
“The potential proceeds of this sale have not been earmarked for any specific purpose. This is simply a financially prudent decision,” said Brooklyn Diocese spokesperson John Quaglione. The church did not respond to requests for comment
St. Sebastian’s has been a vital part of Woodside since its founding in 1894. The current church building hosted its first mass in 1952 and the community center, open to all residents regardless of parish membership, opened its doors in 1968.
Queens Tourism Council Director Rob MacKay, a former St. Sebastian’s parishioner, said the church hosts family gatherings, community parties and local sporting events.
“It's kind of like family for many people,” MacKay said. “Even those who move away frequently come back for services and events. I have many great memories in that yard, such as barbecues and softball games, and I'll certainly miss it.”
MacKay said he hopes the property sale can pay off any existing debts and enable the parish to provide key community services in perpetuity.
A number of parishioners past and present have reminisced about the lot in a Facebook group for St. Sebastian’s grammar school alumni. The valuable piece of land once featured a caretaker’s home, a gazebo and a bench where nuns would sit and relax.
“There used to be a house there that Fred, the caretaker lived in. Everybody used to go and have communion pictures taken in the backyard. Sad to see it go,” wrote Laurie Ward Scally.
The property is zoned for residential use and a buyer would likely build a new apartment complex there, he said. Two-bedroom apartments on nearby blocks in Woodside are listed from $2,100 to $2,650 per month on the real estate website StreetEasy — though some of the listings stretch the concept of “two bedrooms.”
One 650-square-foot apartment listed at $2,100 per month features four rooms: a kitchen, a bathroom and two spaces designated as bedrooms with no common living area.
A 900-square-foot apartment on Queens Boulevard is listed at $2,650 per month with the real estate agent advertising the home’s “ultra luxury condo finishes” and “virtual doorman.”
Despite a COVID-fueled economic crisis, there has been no shortage of interested buyers, said Cushman & Wakefield Director Kevin Schmitz. The church received several unsolicited offers for the property over the past few years and the listing prompted more than two dozen calls in less than a week, Schmitz said.
“Sites like this don’t come up very often,” he said. “It’s just an empty parcel that they have really been under-utilizing.”
