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THE TWO GROUPS that fought for 10 years over St. Bartholomew's Episcopal Church's right to sell the land adjacent to the landmark church have discovered the blessings of peace.
St. Bartholomew's has commissioned the New York Landmarks Conservancy to coordinate the repairs necessary to restore the 77-year-old church to its original luster, said Peg Breen, the conservancy president.
"We are quite thrilled to work with them and get over the old days," Breen said.
The church and the conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of landmark buildings, have found a common ground in the restoration of the striking Byzantine-style church.
"They have a real appreciation of the treasure they have," Breen said.
In 1980, the rector and members of the church vestry learned the worth of their Park Avenue treasure at 51st Street. Developers wooed church officials with a $100-million offer for one-third of their property, planning to replace St. Bartholomew's community building, flower garden and lawn with a 47-story office tower.
But the conservancy and a coalition of preservationists, including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Brooke Astor, fought the proposal. The preservationists contended that the 1967 designation of...