Church of the Mediator moves toward land sale to save historic sanctuary

For years, the Church of the Mediator teetered on the edge of closure, its congregation dwindling and maintenance needs mounting. But with a plan to sell part of its one-acre Kingsbridge property nearing a deal, the “Little Cathedral of the Bronx” could be safe from demolition.

Inside the grandiose structure, stained-glass windows cast bands of color across the sanctuary — but the walls tell a different story. Paint has peeled down to raw brick, plaster hangs in wide sections and wooden panels have warped from years of humidity and leaks. During storms, volunteers line up buckets and pans along the aisles to contain water dripping from the failing slate roof.

Parishioners had long understood how fragile the situation had become.

“We just try fix things as they happen,” recalled Rufus Sadler, the church’s senior warden for decades.

The building, he said, had no savings and no plan for large-scale repairs. When leaks worsened or wiring failed, volunteers improvised.

“Whatever money we had was just spent over decades,” he said of the last time Mediator sold land, in the late 1990s.

This spring brought a turning point for the house of worship. With help from architect and preservationist Steve Byrns, the site secured a place on the Preservation League of New York State’s “Seven to Save” list — a designation that brought renewed attention to the century-old sanctuary on West 231st Street.

The listing introduced new visitors to the church’s architectural significance, an early 20th century stone building designed by Henry Vaughan, the noted Gothic Revival architect whose work also appears at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Manhattan.

Inside, visitors encounter a sanctuary filled with vibrant Tiffany windows. The George Tinworth terracotta friezes behind the alter the englishman's only alongside sagging plaster and the unmistakable signs of prolonged water intrusion. The contrast, Byrns said, was impossible to ignore.

“When I went to a service, you know, the church is a wreck inside,” he said. “There are little pans all over the church collecting rainwater. Some of the woodwork is buckled.”

For years, as finances tightened and deferred maintenance grew, the Episcopal Diocese of New York began discussing whether the parish could survive at all.

Still, Byrns rejected the conclusions of earlier consultants who believed the only viable redevelopment path required demolition.

“The structure is sound,” he said. “I mean, the stone is really good stone this is not like $30 million the diocese quoted."

Instead, he began studying the church’s property, a full acre of land with the sanctuary positioned at the center.

“What could you build on the side of the church?” he asked at the time.

The answer, he believed, was the southern portion of the lot, a section that would not block the tower or major stained-glass windows.

“My instinct was to try to keep that open,” he said of the more prominent façades that define Mediator’s presence on the street.

To test the idea, Byrns assembled a volunteer team: a real-estate consultant “who was very moved by the beauty of this building,” and an architect experienced in affordable housing. Their feasibility study showed that a modest residential development on the south end could generate enough revenue to address immediate repairs and establish a long-term endowment.

A slate roofer he knows has offered a deeply discounted rate simply after assessing its conditions, with Byrns saying “he just felt so sad for this church.”

“We are now in reasonably serious negotiations with one of the developers,” Byrns said, proposing to channel part of the money into urgent structural repairs — namely the roof, which has been patched repeatedly for more than two decades.

The remainder is to be set aside for future funding needs.

As negotiations progress, parish leaders began to rethink what was possible. Vestry secretary Carol Burnett said the church had spent years hearing that its building could not be saved. But Byrns’ plan, anchored in architectural analysis and a clearer financial model, shifted that perception.

“All the naysayers were saying, ‘No, this building is hopeless,’” Burnett explained. “Once we invited Steve in, he became very enthusiastic. His whole perspective was my resource is going to be for saving this building.”

The potential development does come with tradeoffs. New housing on the south side could reduce natural light in the sanctuary — a detail Sadler acknowledged with mixed emotions.

“I like the light that comes in,” he said. “If there’s a building behind there, you’re going to have artificial lights behind it.” But he also noted the stakes. “The long-term viability of the church is the most important thing.”

Beyond the roof, the electrical system needs attention, its wires are wrapped in cloth. The plumbing will eventually need replacement too. But with a completed sale and a functioning endowment, Mediator could phase those projects in responsibly for the first time.
Burnett said the mood inside the congregation has already shifted.

“Now the powers that be believe in us,” she said. “It’s changed the attitude in all of us. Now we can work and build, and we’re very positive to what great things we can do in 2026.”
Sadler shares that guarded optimism.

“Something will happen,” he said. “I think we’re gonna have to sell it. But the building itself is in good condition. It’s got good bones.”