In 1844, the Brooklyn Daily Eagle printed the following prediction “THE CITY OF CHURCHES — such, in time, will be the distinctive appellation of Brooklyn.” In the ensuing decades, the incorporation of new houses of worship matched the pace of residential development and reflected the diverse ancestry of the immigrant communities who settled there. The buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries express the evolution of American church architecture, as dictated by the pride and prosperity of worshippers from Bushwick to Bay Ridge.

The former Second Unitarian Church of Brooklyn, 1934. Affectionately known as the “Church of the Holy Turtle” for its squat cruciform footprint and low, green roof, the church was built in 1858 on land leased from the Catholic Church. Its founding minister included the abolitionist Reverend Samuel Longfellow, brother of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. The church’s final service was held in December 1924; it was later rented to various tenants. In 1962 — three years before the establishment of the Landmarks Preservation Commission — the church was razed ahead of a planned supermarket development. That plan was defeated by the Cobble Hill Association, who successfully petitioned for the creation of Cobble Hill Park, dedicated in July 1965.