2. The Original Location of St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church is Now Part of Liberty Park

155 Cedar Street is now part of Liberty Park, an elevated park which opened last summer. The location change for St. Nicholas Greek Church was not an easy one, as the New York Times reported: “For years, little progress was made as the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey squabbled over how the church would be compensated for giving up the Cedar Street parcel — and the air rights along with it — which the authority needed to build an underground vehicle security center.” The Port Authority claimed the church was exacting “increasingly costly concessions,” while those affiliated with the church stated that the agency was constantly revising demands on the church.

For a period, it was unclear whether the church would be rebuilt at the same site, or at a new parcel offered by the Port Authority at the intersection of Liberty Street and Greenwich Street, but in 2011, this site was finalized.