There is some sweet church property in the heart of NYC!
When a city is first founded, one of the first buildings is a church. So you end up with mainline denominations and the Catholic church a century later owning lots of prime real estate in the center of the city.
In urban America, as shopping districts in ghetto neighborhoods die, abandoned storefronts become churches. That is why black neighborhoods seem to have practically a church on every block. In my old urban neighborhood the Protestant churches around used to be a bank, two bars, a plumbing supply store, a hair care salon, and an old Italian social club. If these neighborhoods are to be returned to the tax rolls, a lot of those churches are going to have to be closed.
I remember reading somewhere that the Church sought to buy the property in front of Saint Patrick's that is now occupied by Rockefeller Center but was blocked by local government hostile to the Church. True or false?