Alpine’s Historic ‘Christmas Church’ Sells For $2.1M

ALPINE, N.J.—A nearly 150-year-old historic church in Alpine on Old Closter Dock Road—which has laid vacant for several years following its acquisition by the United Methodist Church after a protracted legal battle for ownership—was sold in December for $2.1 million to a Presbyterian congregation in nearby Rockland County, N.Y.

The sale of Alpine Community Church ends nearly a year of angst by public officials, preservationists and members of its former congregation as to the historic church’s fate, given that the church is not protected from demolition despite being listed on the state and national historic registers. 

A fundraising effort by members of a local United Methodists congregation that once worshipped at the church but then split away and lost the church after a legal battle for ownership, was unsuccessful in raising funds to re-purchase the property, said Charles Yannetti, an Alpine Community Church board member. 

The now non-denominational congregation holds Sunday services at an Alpine Scout Camp property.

The historic property was initially listed in December 2018 for $3.45 million, which included a nearby community center and a single family home on 3.2 acres.

Although much interest was initially shown, the property reportedly had conditions that restricted its value, said Yanetti.

He said the church has cremated remains on site, which could cause relocation challenges, as well as environmental constraints which may have limited development potential.

The property was listed and marketed by Prominent Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, Tenafly, and was sold on Dec. 6.

The church was purchased by Church of the Lord, a Presbyterian church in Orangeburg, N.Y. Efforts to reach church officials for comment were not returned by press time.

Yanetti said he has met with Church of the Lord members since the purchase “and I left the first meeting with a very positive feeling. The church will be staying [here] and isn’t going anywhere,” said Yanetti. 

Yanetti said he hopes to work out future arrangements for the congregation to return to Alpine Community Church for services.

He said the unused church has fallen into disrepair, with plaster falling off walls, a heating system that needs replacing, and a malfunctioning pipe organ, but the historic structure with its hand-hewn beams and pews remains intact. 

He said the new pastor told him the Korean congregation hopes to hold Sunday services and possibly a youth ministry when the church reopens in a few months, or latest by summer.

Built in a High Victorian Gothic Revival style, the Alpine Community Church was designed by J. Cleaveland Cady and is one of two examples of his work in Bergen County (the other is Demarest’s Railroad Station).

‘No interest shown’

“There was no interest shown by the mayor, council or townspeople to preserve or protect this building,” said Yanetti, still upset with failed fundraising efforts to purchase the church and lack of efforts to have the church designated as a local historic landmark to prevent demolition.

“There’s so much history here,” said Yanetti, noting the church was once featured prominently in illustrated drawings by Thomas Nast on Christmas cards over a century ago and came to be called “The Christmas Church,” drawing visitors to Alpine from many locales.

‘Historic and beautiful’

“We’re glad that it has come to this and hope that the new owners enjoy this historic and beautiful house of worship,” said Alpine Mayor Paul Tomasko Jan. 22.  Tomasko said that much effort was made by the mayor and council to help facilitate transition of the historic church to a new congregation. 

When the 150-year-old church was first listed for sale in late 2018, the property description noted it was zoned for construction of large-lot, single-family homes, leading to speculation that the church might be demolished and replaced by a mega-mansion or two.

Asked if Alpine might take additional steps in the future to protect the church from possible demolition, Tomasko said “we’re going to do what we can do in that direction.” 

He said a first step is to “heighten the awareness” of the church’s historic status with a historic marker, which will be placed there.  

Tomasko said local officials have been working with county officials for about a year and hope to have a historic marker placed on the church property soon. 

The proposed plaque, made of local bluestone, notes the church was dedicated on Aug. 17, 1871, and designed by renowned architect J. Cleaveland Cady.  

“Fishermen, quarrymen and laborers and local business people contributed to its construction. For generations, it has been a focal point of Alpine,” reads part of the plaque’s inscription. 

Tomasko said the plaque will note it is “sponsored by the Borough of Alpine.” 

Currently, most historic preservation advocates note the only legal mechanism to protect a historic property from demolition is for a municipal historical commission to nominate and designate the property as “historic” to legally prevent a developer from demolishing it. 

While many properties in Alpine—including Alpine Community Church—reside in an Upper Closter/Alpine historic district, the district designation provides little protection should a property owner wish to demolish the property, say local historians. Although Alpine passed an ordinance in December 2016 creating a historical preservation commission—which could recommend such designations—it was not clear why no current commission exists. 

Although the church is listed on state and national historic registers, those listings do not provide protection against demolition.