The ongoing battle to save the Mary Help of Christians church, rectory and school on East 12th Street and Avenue A, currently slated for demolition followed by construction of 140 luxury rental units developed by Douglas Steiner, has taken a grave turn. At a protest yesterday, a few dozen preservationists rallied around the argument that the lot is also the site of Catholic cemetery where about 40,000 people were buried over the course of the 19th century. Though some bodies were relocated, it's possible that human remains, well, remain. To avoid desecrating the dead, they want to perform an archaeological survey on the site and are proposing that Steiner build his high-rise in the adjacent churchyard instead. A new stall tactic in the series of attempts to protect this church, or deadly serious matter?
· Preservationists call for archaeological review of former cemetery [EVG]
· Preservationists Beg Steiner Not To Put Luxury Condos On Former Cemetery [NYO]
· Planned East Village High-Rise Could Disturb the Dead [DNAinfo]
· Mary Help of Christians coverage [Curbed]
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