Major facelift in the works for 114-year-old Lake Grove church

Construction bids are due next week for the exterior restoration of the 114-year-old First Congregational Church of New Village in Lake Grove, with Brookhaven’s Town Board aiming to award the contract at its Sept. 17 meeting.

The town published the bid on Monday, and contractors have until 11 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 11, to submit their proposals, Town Supervisor Dan Panico announced.

The scope of work includes restoring the church’s original wood windows and shutters, repairing deteriorated wood, masonry and exterior shingles, and completing lead-safe surface preparation and repainting, Panico said on Facebook.

The job also covers weather protection measure. Everything will be done while maintaining emphasis on preserving the building’s historic character, Panico explained.

The church, built around 1812 on Middle Country Road just west of Elliot Avenue, is among the oldest structures in the Lake Grove-Centereach area. It’s featured on the Village of Lake Grove’s official seal and in 2002, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Panico first announced funding for the project in the spring, after the vacant landmark suffered vandalism and had weathered years of wear.

The congregation relocated to a larger building — now New Village Church on Wildwood Street — in 1961, and the town took ownership of the original church a decade later.

_{Top: First Congregational Church of New Village in Lake Grove (Facebook/Dan Panico).}