Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and St. Stephen Roman Catholic Church, 1951.

According to the history of the church, "At 3:00 p.m. on the crisp Wednesday afternoon of January 10, 1951, the clock in the tower of what was now known as Sacred Hearts & St. Stephen’s Church rang only twice instead of the usual three times." A five-alarm fire, which started in the choir loft, burned through the church, collapsing the roof and destabilizing the tall steeple. The fire destroyed many of the stained glass windows, the new $20,000 organ, and all of the vestments. Thankfully no one was killed, but the damage was estimated at $2 million. The church rebuilt with donations from parishioners and the generosity of local Jewish and Protestant congregations.

St. Stephen's was founded in 1866 in a former Episcopal Church at Carroll and Hicks Streets. The church building seen here was erected in 1875 and designed by famed Catholic church architect Patrick Keeley. Its high steeple cross, illuminated at night, served as a beacon for sailors entering New York Harbor. The Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary was established in 1882, the first Italian parish on Long Island. It first used space in a church at Warren and Hicks Streets. The parishes merged in 1941 when Robert Moses' BQE plans forced the razing of the Sacred Heart Church (as well as two other early Italian parishes nearby). The combined parish remains a vibrant part of the Carroll Gardens community. Its annual Good Friday procession is one of the oldest and most well known in the diocese.