298 6th Ave
1895
LB Valk & Sons

Founded in 1859, St. Matthew’s was the first English-speaking Lutheran church in Brooklyn. Its parishioners were first and second-generation German immigrants who began worshipping in English as a means to assimilate into American culture. After leasing space in other churches for many years, they bought this lot in 1885 to build a large church for their growing congregation.

The structure has an impressive bell tower and stained-glass façades. The steeple originally had a sharply pitched roof, with a stamped metal cornice and small gargoyles at the corners. The brick was a natural golden or buff color, with lighter limestone trim.

In 1948, St. Matthew’s merged with other Lutheran churches, and the building became known as Maranatha Temple, a non-denominational church. In 1985, it was sold to the Mission for Today, Holy Tabernacle Church. It was recently sold to a developer, and a demolition permit was issued by the DOB. New construction does not need to be contextually appropriate or regulated by LPC.