In 1878, the advent of the elevated trains to Harlem sparked an enormous building boom of residential single-family row houses which lasted until the 1893 recession. The residential brownstones located at 139 and 141 West 126th Street are two of four (135 and 137) built by the same builder/architect in 1883 as part of this settlement. St. Luke AME Church bought the buildings in 1937 as the first permanent home for their "mission" church services and prayer meetings. The Parlor Floors of the 2 brownstones were combined and opened up to allow for the sanctuary space, while the lower floors served as meeting spaces, a kitchen, dining room and chapel. Dear to the surviving Church Elders, 139 and 141 are intended to remain in Church ownership.

Our charge, along with our development team, was to invent a program to allow the buildings to be self-sustaining in perpetuity. L+AA was selected for this project based on demonstrated skill in respecting the architecture of the past while building of our own time through sensitive architectural and re-use planning strategies. Working closely with New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), L+AA proposed alternate use feasibility studies with proforma costs attached.

The SHPO requirement that the sanctuary space remain open allowed us to re-envision the large and high space as a gallery for local artists and public lecture space. It is intended that these buildings be included in the 125th Street Historic Walking Tours and that the story of Harlem’s Great Migration Storefront Churches, now fairly obscure to most, will be made more public. Medical Offices (2000 sf) will be located on the ground floor and the upper floors will house high-end residential units.

L+AA is also very active in pursuing the greening of historic structures. Therefore, in addition to providing full architectural and landscaping services, L+AA is spearheading both the historic research and submissions to the National Park Service for historic reservation certification and National Registry of Historic Places nomination. L+AA is commissioned to manage the LEED process and submittals to USGBC. We have established a goal of LEED Silver Certification. If successful, this project with be the first AME church to have certification in NYC. Natural habitat gardens proposed for the rear and front yards are conceptualized to exhibit color throughout the year and are intended as a major element for the residents.