Reformed Church of Newtown Complex
Why it's listed
Along Broadway in Elmhurst, Queens, a wooden church, a connected chapel, a fellowship hall and a small cemetery sit together inside an iron fence. The church was built in 1831 and incorporates the cornerstone of the congregation's earlier octagonal building of 1731 in its foundation. The hall began as a chapel in 1858-60 and was moved back in 1906 to line up with the church, joined by a covered passage. Both buildings use simple, vernacular Greek Revival forms, including temple-like gable fronts, round gable windows and modillioned cornices, although aluminum shingles were added in 1965. A bell tower with an octagonal lantern rises from the church roof. The ensemble was listed as one of the oldest surviving wood-frame building groups in Queens and as a link to Elmhurst's early development, when an early picture shows the buildings standing in open farm fields. The congregation belongs to the Reformed Church in America, rooted in Dutch settlement.
Significance in brief: The church and hall are among the oldest surviving wood-frame buildings in Queens. Their similar, simple vernacular Greek Revival details unite them as a group despite different construction dates. They also remain as rare reminders of Elmhurst's pre-Civil War agrarian era in what is now a fully urban community.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 80002751, listed April 23, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 8515 Broadway, New York |
|---|---|
| County | Queens |
| Listed | April 23, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80002751 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architectural style | Vernacular Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in religious use; the buildings were covered with aluminum shingles in 1965 and altered several times, but the basic form of the interior and exterior remains intact. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Coordinates | 40.73975, -73.87788 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Religious properties are listed for their architectural or historical significance, not their religious use. Listing is honorary and does not restrict the congregation's use of the building. The federal rehabilitation credit is generally unavailable unless part of the building is income-producing; some state programmes and preservation grants do cover religious buildings. Federal funding or permits trigger Section 106 review.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 80002751.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7760035
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.