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By: Ellen Cans
A Jewish religious center on the Upper West Side has been sold for $10 million. Developers had been eyeing the spot, located at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 105th Street, for its air rights. In the end, however, it was purchased by another religious organization—though not a Jewish one.
As reported by Crain’s NY, Romemu, a Jewish community has sold its building at 176 W. 105th St. The buyer is the World Mission Society Church of God, a Christian group based in South Korea. The sold building boasts roughly 10,000 square feet of space. It features a full-floor meeting space, classrooms, a commercial kitchen and a rooftop play area. Per Crain’s, the Church of God said it will continue using the spaces for religious purposes.
Romemu is an “experiential” progressive or reform Jewish community, with locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It was founded in 2006 as a monthly Shabbat service on the Upper West Side. In 2008, it expanded to a full-time congregation. The organization boasts a growing community of over 1,000 members, per its website. “We are committed to egalitarianism and the inclusion of all people, regardless of race, age, gender and sexual orientation, religious observance, and belief”, the website reads. The organization said that it put the property up for sale because it already has other spaces that it can utilize for programs and services.
The synagogue sought to consolidate, feeling it no longer needed to keep all its properties, said Stephen Powers of Open Impact Real Estate, who represented Romemu in the sale, along with his colleague Alexander Smith. The buyer was represented in the deal by EXP Realty’s Michael Marcus. Romemu will use the money from the sale to build out an endowment, Powers said.
Romemu has other facilities in Downtown Brooklyn and in Prospect Heights. The synagogue group had purchased 176 W. 105th St. in 2018 from the YMCA of Greater New York for $9 million, per property records. The organization will continue to host events like prayer services, educational programs and holiday celebrations at its other Upper West Side facility.
Per Crain’s the Church of God was established in 1964 and boasts 3.7 million members across 7,500 churches in 175 countries, as of 2023. This seems to be the church’s first Manhattan location. The church has been criticized over the years for its aggressive recruitment methods and false prophecies decrying the end of the world.
Of late, the Big Apple’s religious buildings have been targeted by developers looking to boost their air rights. It has become a popular way for churches to get an influx of cash, while developers gain right to build taller towers, Crain’s reported. Examples of such transactions include developer Charney Cos., which purchased a Riverside Church property in Morningside Heights. Similarly, Spatial Equity Co. And partner Community Access bought a shuttered Catholic church and school in the East Village.
The realty group in this deal, Open Impact, however, specializes in transaction in which the buyers plan to use the property mostly as is. That was the case in this sale, Powers said. “You hear a lot about the small little church being knocked down and the tower being built,” he said.
