On May 19, 2019, the New York State Office of Historic Preservation determined St. Matthias Church is ELIGIBLE for listing on the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

Eligibility for the National and State Registers speaks to the site’s historical significance as the Hempstead Town Council soon considers the town Landmark Preservation Commission’s recommendation to designate St. Matthias Church on Jerusalem Avenue in Wantagh as a town landmark.

Click HERE to read more about why the 114-year-old St. Matthias Church is worthy of landmark status as one of the few surviving buildings connected to early efforts by the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island to bring congregations of African Americans living in Queens and Nassau Counties into the Episcopal Church.

ACTION ALERT! 

If you live or work in the Town of Hempstead, please contact your Town Supervisor and Town Councilmember to ask for their vote in support of the designation of St. Matthias Church as a Hempstead Town landmark.

St. Matthias Church, February 2019. St. Matthias was actively used as a place of worship until 2018 when the Episcopal Diocese of Long Island evicted the congregation occupying the church and put the property up for sale. Photo courtesy of Gary Hammond.