Pastor Lobbied to Get Church Off Landmarking List

She loves the building, not the bureaucracy

When the Rev. Linda Burlew Gold became pastor of the First Reformed Church of College Point in Queens 14 years ago, she didn’t expect to spend  years sparring with the city.

For the last 35 years, the rustic 19th-century wood-frame church sat on the Landmark Preservation Commission’s list of “calendared” properties. While it was not technically landmarked, just being a contender added a layer of bureaucracy. When the church underwent needed renovations, the landmark commission had to be informed of minute details.

Repairs got more expensive and took more time.

Gold, no fan of the preservation process, petitioned for years to be taken off the list. Last year, with the help of City Councilman Paul Vallone, she succeeded.

Here is Gold on the trials and tribulations of running a “calendared” church.