Paul Robeson Theater Wrestles with Landmarking

The converted 19th-century church that houses a historic and financially struggling theater company may be declared a landmark by the city, but its elderly founder is worried that the designation may make it more difficult to preserve her vision of a haven for black artists in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill.

“We converted the building into a beautiful part of the neighborhood — people forget that!” said Josephine English, who is the 90-year-old founder of the . “We were here when the neighborhood was bad, we had [artistic] camps and took in the kids, some of them off the street.”

But as the neighborhood became more gentrified, the theater’s audience began to diminish — and so did its funding.

Now, Paul Robeson , because the main floor — where once was the nave and chancel — has been locked off due to a leaky roof that must be completely replaced.

Seeing the theater’s dilapidated state and financial struggles, Councilwoman Letitia James began pushing for the building to be landmarked.

“We should do all we can to preserve [Paul Robeson Theater’s] original heritage,” James said. “It provides arts and culture that reflects the African-American experience, which is an American experience! It’s unfortunate it’s fallen on hard times.”

But English and others running the theater are skeptical of the value of landmarking.

“What advantage is it to me, as a property owner?” English said. “We’re trying to renovate the theater. I don’t know if landmarking is going to interfere with it.”

Landmarking would prevent the building from being converted to accommodate both residences and a stage — a rumor already swirling around the struggling company as it prepares for the inevitable transition from English’s leadership to her two sons. 

The Paul Robeson Theater was founded in 1980 by English, who was the first black woman to practice obstetrics and gynecology in New York State.

The theater — named after the multi-talented civil rights activist who delivered a legendary performance of “Othello” on Broadway in 1943 — experienced its glory days in the 1980s and 1990s, when it served as an artistic refuge in a neighborhood plagued by violence.

A spokeswoman for the city Landmarks Preservation Commission, Lisi de Bourbon, said that the building “may merit designation,” but that there was no timeline for further action.

De Bourbon added that the church was a part of history even before English bought it and founded the Paul Robeson Theater, creating one of the few all-black-owned theaters in the country.

“The church that houses the theater was built in the 1860s for the Fourth Universalist Society, also known as the Church of the Redeemer,” she said. “It was purchased by Temple Israel, one of the earliest Reform Jewish congregations in Brooklyn, and possibly the first.”

The city is only considering designating the exterior of the building a landmark, but directors of the theater remain wary of the process.

English and others envision renovating the main hall and converting it into an event space that could accommodate theater, concerts and other entertainment.

“We got to get funding so we can renovate it as an event space, then go to landmarks,” said Rick Davy, the managing director at the theater. “Dr. English wants it to remain a theater forever. There is a big push to get things to start happening now, so she can enjoy it for a couple of years. She’d really like to see Fort Greene support her dreams of minorities in theater and art.”