This is the home of the Sheepshead Bay United Methodist Church, originally known as the Sheepshead Bay Methodist Episcopal Church. It was built in 1884 by John Y. McKane (formerly John McCain), the tyrannical "autocrat of Gravesend"*. By 2011, the steeples had become structurally unsound, and it looked like tearing them down was going to be the only affordable solution for the dwindling congregation. The necessary permits for demolition were acquired from the city, but the company hired to do the work backed out. A second contractor then came in and convinced the church that it would actually be cheaper to fix the steeples than to remove them. The first step was to stabilize them with cables, which are visible in the photo above.
* Not to be confused with The Autocrat of Flapjack Junction.
Day 1043
Back from the brink
November 7th, 2014
