At St. Hilda’s House convent on 113th Street, many of the rooms are empty, the walls are undecorated, and the remaining pieces of furniture are labeled with notes specifying their future locations.
“It looks like a warehouse,” Sister Faith Margaret said.
The sisters, who have for the past 60 years occupied three 113th Street brownstones—which the University now owns—are preparing to move in mid-November to their new, eco-friendly convent on 150th Street and the aptly named Convent Avenue in Harlem. Construction on the new location is nearly complete, with only painting, flooring, and cabinetry left to install.
“We’re not going to move until the place is ready for us,” Margaret said.
Their new home will include, among many green features, a planted roof, environmentally friendly finishes—such as recycled brick, cork flooring, and coconut wood—and an energy-saving central heating system.
“I think everyone is really excited about the move and the new building,” Margaret said.
“Of course, it’s going to be bittersweet because we’ve been here for 60 years. ... There are a lot of memories here,” she said, adding that she has lived in the convent for 24 years.
It’s the neighborhood mainstays that the nuns will miss, Margaret added, citing Westside Market and the nearby public library.
But they are not leaving Morningside Heights behind, she said, since many of the sisters visit the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine frequently, either to celebrate communion or attend committee meetings. “We’re not going to be strangers to this area.”
The future of the brownstones is unclear. Columbia acquired the buildings in 2009, and has helped the sisters obtain necessary permits and worked with them to ease the transition over the past year.
“We’re still very focused on helping the sisters move into their new home,” said Joe Ienuso, executive vice president of facilities. “We’re not focused yet on what possible reuse opportunities exist.”
Since the new location is much smaller and the convent had extra furniture, Columbia connected the sisters with Build It Green, an organization in Queens that recycles and re-purposes home furnishings. “They [the University] have been really generous with us,” Margaret said.
St. Hilda’s House’s agreement with Columbia stipulates that they have 45 days after construction is complete to vacate the brownstones, but the sisters have no intention to delay the move any further.
Some nearby residents said they are sad to see the convent go. “I liked having the nuns here, but I admire what they’re doing with their green building,” neighbor Jodie Trapani said.
She added, “I am not thrilled that it’s going to be taken over by Columbia. ... I’m concerned about what’s going to happen.”
The Coalition to Preserve the Morningside Brownstones, which fought to save University-owned brownstones on 115th, echoed this concern. “We urge the University to keep them [the brownstones] as housing, and not to neglect them and certainly not to destroy them as they did on 115th,” coalition member Harry Schwartz, CC ’56, said. The University recently demolished the 115th Street brownstones due to safety concerns, but preservationists and local elected officials spoke out against Columbia.
“We don’t know what Columbia’s going to do with this building, but we do know that we leave it changed,” Margaret said.
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