Washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church
Washington Square Methodist Episcopal Church was a former Methodist church located at 135 West Fourth Street, Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York. It was built in 1860, became a United Methodist church and closed in 2004 when its diminished congregation rented space in Trinity Chapel, New York University. The church was also known as "The Peace Church" resulting from the congregation's opposition to the Vietnam War. Paul Abels, New York City's first openly gay clergyman, served as the church's pastor from 1973 to 1984 and promoted acceptance of the gay and lesbian community. The church could not be demolished as it was located in the Greenwich Village Historic District and was instead converted into "Novare", a condominium apartment building.
