End of an Era as Our Lady of Pity Church in the South Bronx is Demolished

Our Lady of Pity Church, which was deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New York in November of 2017, is almost gone as its being demolished to make way for affordable housing.

The rectory and school building are already gone and all that remains are just three walls and the roof of this structure from the neighborhood’s past.

All that’s left of Our Lady of Pity

The parish of Madonna del Suffragio (Our Lady of Pity) was founded in 1908 by Italian immigrants from Ponza, an island off the coast of Italy halfway between Rome and Naples.

Our Lady of Pity Church
Before…
…and after.

In 1929, the current church was built to serve the fast-growing community of Ponzese living in the neighborhood.

Now, all that will soon remain is rubble as the last, visible mark of the Italian community from Ponza in Melrose is erased forever.

And for this Puerto Rican kid who grew up across the street from OLP and attended Sunday mass as a child, a piece of my past is also gone but will never be forgotten.

Below are pictures I took two years ago when they began the slow process of removing anything of significant value as well as hauling away whatever was left behind.

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Ed García Conde

Ed García Conde is a life-long Bronxite who spends his time documenting the people, places, and things that make the borough a special place in the hopes of dispelling the negative stereotypes associated with The Bronx. His writings are often cited by mainstream media and is often consulted for his expertise on the borough's rich history.