Once a Force in Harlem, the Oldest Black Church in New York Hangs On

The sanctuary, constructed like an auditorium, of the present-day Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church building on West 137th Street. Flo Ngala for The New York Times

Publisher: The New York Times | Author: Mia Jackson

In the 227 years since its birth, Mother African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church — the oldest Black church in New York State — has served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, a haven for Black artists and intellectuals during the Harlem Renaissance, and an amphitheater for civil rights activism during the 1950s and ‘60s.

In recent years, grass roots organizing by groups like Save Harlem Now have rallied residents to demand that the Landmarks Preservation Commission do more to preserve keepsakes from Harlem’s celebrated early 20th century history. Since its founding in 2015, the group has successfully obtained protected status for some Harlem landmarks, including the Harlem branch of the New York Public Library.