Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary Church, Southampton NY

Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary is a Roman Catholic Church in the heart of Southampton, NY on Hill Street. The original Church was built in the late 1800’s, funded by the Protestant population that lived year round in the Southampton area. The servants of these people were predominantly Irish Catholics who would commute every weekend in order to attend mass in the Brooklyn Diocese. The Church was built in order to allow for less commuting by the servants, and more importantly, allow them to work longer hours and days since the new Church was nearby and the commute no longer existed.

The Church itself is a marble structure with a mixture of styles, including Gothic stained glass windows. Each of the windows represented a saint, and since they were imported originally from Vienna, the saints were indigenous to Austria rather than Southampton. Subsequent project restoration allowed the windows to be fully restored and cleaned, with people form Austria commenting on which saints they actually were.

The exterior marble was extensively cleaned and repointed, whereas a new slate roof was put on the Church itself. A new lighting protection system was installed at the time. The bell tower was fully restored and is now fully operational. During the restoration of this tower, a family of rare owls was found under the rafters. Next, the mother, and three baby owls were moved to the adjacent school and moved back upon project completion. Neighborhood compliance, including use of the local hook and ladder truck added even more celebration to the project.

The interiors were recorded and then totally stripped. New frescos, gold gilding, and lighting was introduced. The pews were removed, stripped, and repaired and restained. The fifteenth century raredos was also restored. The nave and side aisle treatments were restored to their original splendor. The rear choir loft was also fully restored, along with the original Church organ. The altar was repaired, with the marble bases to remain. New carpeting and finishes completed the project.

The project was a restoration as well as a modernization. The renovation stopped problems such as building leaks, but it also afforded the opportunity to insulate the building, install new chandeliers that met current foot-candle lighting requirements, a security system, a lightening protection system, and a new HVAC system. Site work included repair of the porte-cochere at the side of the Church. The project was cataloged by the Diocese of Rockville Center, and published accordingly.