The Church of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary was a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

under the authority of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York The Archdiocese of New York ( la, Archidiœcesis Neo-Eboracensis) is an ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church ( particularly the Roman Catholic or Latin Church) located in the State of New York. It encompasses the borough ...

, located at 160 Van Cortlandt Park South,

Kingsbridge Kingsbridge is a market town and tourist hub in the South Hams district of Devon, England, with a population of 6,116 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards bear the name of ''Kingsbridge'' (East & North). Their combined population at the abo ...

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

History

The parish was established in 1928. The original structure was a combined school-over-church, common to the city. Construction of the Major Deegan Expressway caused the church to move to its present site in 1951.Bronx Parish to Get New Building Site; Visitation Church and School to Replace Plant Ousted by Parkway Link
" ''The New York Times'', May 2, 1951, Excerpt: "The Archbishopric of New York has purchased a plot containing 50,000 square feet of land at Van Cortlandt Park South, Review Place and Putnam Avenue in the Bronx... The land will be the site of the new church and school for Visitation parish...." Ground-breaking for the new church was held in February 1952, Bishop Joseph P. Donahue officiating. Both church and school were completed 1953 as

Modernist Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, an ...

brick and reinforced concrete structures.Parcels in Bronx Go To 3 Churches: Lutheran, Episcopal, Roman Catholic Groups Involved --Expansion Is Planned
" ''The New York Times'', Mar 5, 1956, Excerpt: "Purchases of properties in the Bronx by churches were announced over the week-end....The Roman Catholic Church of the Visitation bought three vacant parcels to round out its control of the entire square block bounded by Van Cortlandt Park ...."

Cardinal Spellman Francis Joseph Spellman (May 4, 1889 – December 2, 1967) was an American bishop and cardinal of the Catholic Church. From 1939 until his death in 1967, he served as the sixth Archbishop of New York; he had previously served as an auxiliary ...

dedicated the parish school building, which was completed in 1953 at a cost of $200,000. The rectory address is 160 Van Cortlandt Park South, Bronx NY 10463. The parish school is at 171 West 239th Street, Bronx NY 10463. On November 2, 2014, the parish was merged with that of Church of St. John, and on June 30, 2017, the church was deconsecrated. In 2022, a school and apartment complex were proposed for the site.NYC SCA, Access Date: April 1, 2022 On June 19, 2023, demolition of the church had been completed, and demolition of the school building was nearly complete.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church (Bronx, New York) Christian organizations established in 1928 Roman Catholic churches in the Bronx Roman Catholic churches completed in 1953 Modernist architecture in New York City Demolished churches in New York City Demolished buildings and structures in the Bronx Kingsbridge, Bronx 20th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United States