When we were taking photos of the boarded up synagogue on 31 West 123rd Street last year, a former member happened to be walking by and filled us in on some the details on why it was in its current state. The African-American gentleman was in his mid forties and remembered having his Bar Mitzvah in the exact temple many years ago. Apparently, against the congregations wishes, the property was placed on the market and as of February 24th, 2010, is in contract. There was some sort of court case against the selling of the synagogue and in the meantime, the police barricaded the entrances so that past members could not get in. The 25 feet wide, 10,370 square foot corner property was John Dwight's (the creator of Arm & Hammer) summer home over a century ago before it became a synagogue in the 20th century. Believe it or not, the asking price was $1.695 million for this large building in the Mount Morris Park Historic district which sits right off of the park. Whatever the savings, there's probably a bit of legal fees that have to be shelled out to rectify the situation with the congregation. Does anyone know the whole story? Photos by Ulysses.
When we were taking photos of the boarded up synagogue on 31 West 123rd Street last year, a former member happened to be walking by and filled us in on some the details on why it was in its current state. The African-American gentleman was in his mid forties and remembered having his Bar Mitzvah in the exact temple many years ago. Apparently, against the congregations wishes, the property was placed on the market and as of February 24th, 2010, is in contract. There was some sort of court case against the selling of the synagogue and in the meantime, the police barricaded the entrances so that past members could not get in. The 25 feet wide, 10,370 square foot corner property was John Dwight's (the creator of Arm & Hammer) summer home over a century ago before it became a synagogue in the 20th century. Believe it or not, the asking price was $1.695 million for this large building in the Mount Morris Park Historic district which sits right off of the park. Whatever the savings, there's probably a bit of legal fees that have to be shelled out to rectify the situation with the congregation. Does anyone know the whole story? Photos by Ulysses.
Wikipedia has an article on the synagogue - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commandment_Keepers
ReplyDelete"In 1973, [Rabbi Wentworth Arthur] Matthew [the founder] died, creating an interior conflict over who would be the new leader. David Matthew Doré, who was 16 years old at the time, was named spiritual leader of the congregation just before Matthew’s death. In 1975, the board of the congregation elected Willie White to be the new leader. Doré continued to host services at the synagogue until the early 1980s, when White began locking people out. Doré at this time was working as a lawyer, but states that he often tried to enter the synagogue. Throughout the 1990s membership was declining. In 2004, Zechariah ben Lewi became the rabbi for the Commandment Keepers, and membership has dropped to eight people. A lawsuit was filed against Doré that year for wrongfully claiming himself to be the spiritual leader of the congregation. The court ruled against Doré. The ruling was overturned on July 9, 2007. The board proceeded to sell the building at 1 West 123rd Street. Doré, as attorney for Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation of the Living God Pillar and Ground of Truth, Inc., filed a lawsuit against the board for selling the historic landmark, and in October 2007 a court vacated the sale and ordered a trial. As of 2008, Doré's suit against the buyer was pending."
On Property Shark you can see that within a month of them selling the building in '07 there were lis pendens being filed. Apparently the congregation took the mortgage on it because they're listed as 'creditor' on the lis pendens. But imagine being the buyer and having a title dispute on the building you just bought.
It is a gorgeous building though...
We might have met one of the gentlemen involved. He had tears in his eyes as he was explaining what happened to temple. Hope it all works out.
ReplyDeleteFascinating. Thank you for this. . .
ReplyDeletebtw, next stop—lawsuit against the title company.
The Commandment Keepers Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation Founded by the late Chief Rabbi W.A. Matthew in 1921)sued Newark resident Julian Wormley in May 2007 because Wormley, without authority and a non-member sold the temple illegally claiming he was President of the congregation! Wormley along with seven people formed a fake congregation with a similar name. That is why the lis penden shows the congregation as a creditor; the congregation did not take the mortgage. Cathay Bank has the mortgage. Other defendants were 31 Mount Morris Park LLC and Colleen Taylor the buyers. One of the seven individuals who signed papers with Wormley was Wihelmina Billie Holiday Hayes the former Deputy Police Commissioner in the Dinkins and Koch Administrations. She also claimed to be a member and signed an affidavit to sell the temple.
ReplyDeleteThe buyers were a Colleen Taylor, Todd Wiley and an entity called 31 Mount Morris Park LLC. The Congregation has sued Todd wiley in a separate lawsuit. The index number for the case in Supreme Court NY County is 117509/06 (containing the petition to sell with Holliday's signature and Wormley and the orders vacating the sale) and index number 106102/07 containing the lawsuit against Wormley and Colleen Taylor and 31 Mount Morris Park LLC (50% owned by Colleen Taylor)
The congregation is pressing criminal charges as well since its Torahs and religious artifacts were stolen by Wormley (see May 2007 NY Post article "Temple Trouble in Harlem")and agents for the buyers. The congregation never agreed to sell its temple.
Brokers trying to sell the temple even as the case is pending in court have harassed neighbors wh asked them what they are doing to the nation's first black synagogue. Related cases to this illegal sale and plunder are pending in Federal District Court and the Appellate Division.