Church In Watervliet Closed For Good

I believe that the last time that I had a story about a church in the Albany area, was when  Price Chopper was going to buy the property of St. Patrick’s Church on 19th Street in Watervliet. Yesterday, another church in Watervliet closed its doors for church services forever. The First Presbyterian Church at 819 23rd Street, held its the last service.

Like many churches, the membership has really decreased over the last few years. Much of the money needed to keep the church open is no longer there, that includes paying to keep the building heated in the colder months.

The building, which was built in 1875, has also been deteriorating for quite some time. Much of the paint is peeling and some of the walls have cracks in them. the building has been in better condition but there are fewer people to help out with the upkeep of the property. There’s a possibility that the sale of the building could happen by year’s end.

According to the article in The Troy Record, there’s space downstairs of the church that will be used for a couple of non-profit groups - A Girl Scout Troop and group called Pay It Forward.