Priest At South Bronx's Immaculate Conception Says Landmark Status Could Hurt Church

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A South Bronx church is on its way to becoming a city landmark, but parishioners inside are doing everything to prevent that from happening.

As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported, a priest at the Immaculate Conception Church fears getting lost in the past.

Color stained windows line cavernous arches inside the century old church in the Bronx. Stepping inside is like stepping back in time, so it's no wonder the city wants to make it an official landmark.

The church pastor is praying to God that it doesn't happen.

"It's an immigrant community and I don't know what the church will look like in 30 years," Rev. Francis Skelly said.

Skelly said the church is not a museum, and active churches need repairs. His last parish, St. Cecilia's in East Harlem got landmark status in 1976.

"At Cecilia's I wanted to put in a handicap ramp, and it was taking away from the look of the church, and so landmarks would not let me do it," he said.

More than 500 churchgoers are backing Father Skelly's petition against the Landmarks Commission. Since it's a church, funds for repairs com mostly from donations, and landmark status means repairs and changes could cost a lot more.

"I mean it's nice to have it as a landmark, but it's a poor parish and the archdiocese only give so much money so it comes through the parishioners and this is not a wealthy area," Joseph Leddy said.

Father Skelly said the next renovation will probably be a pair of doors. He said they're heavy and bring in a draft, but he worries if landmark status will make the replacement project pricey.

"Because they'll want to retain a certain look so at times they'll make you do more than you want to do," he said.

The Landmarks Commission said "We collaborate with religious organizations to arrive at solutions that benefit them and the public interest."

For this parish keeping up with the time means not getting stuck in it.

The City Landmarks Preservation Commission is scheduled to vote on the church status April 12.