Grace Church School history

After the opening of the first subway in 1908, the Heights became even more closely tied to Manhattan, but its relative calm also made it a residential refuge.

With the death of William Reed Huntington in 1909, Grace Church called Charles Lewis Slattery as its seventh rector.

The first Choirmaster of the new era was James Helfenstein; he served until 1922 and brought the fledgling program into maturity.

But in 1931, with continuing parish growth, that building was replaced by the present-day Parish House, where Grace Church School is located.

Following Bowie, Grace called Louis Wetherbee Pitt as the ninth rector, who served until his death in 1959.

Benjamin Minifie was called in 1960; Minifie abolished pew rentals and welcomed women onto the Vestry for the first time.

Grace Christian Preschool opened its doors in 1979.

GRACE Christian school began in 1984 as Mount Olivet Christian School.

In the early 1990’s, the middle school grades were added, and interest was expressed in the school adopting a classical approach to education.

Since 1992, Paul Richard Olson has served as Organist and Choirmaster at Grace Church Brooklyn Heights where he heads the choral program and concert series.

The campus at 801 Buck Jones Road opened in the fall of 2003 complete with science and computer labs, and a gym.

Grace Community Elementary School opened September 2004, with an enrollment of 20 Kindergarten students.

In 2005, Grace Community Elementary School came under the leadership of Grace Christian Preschool to become Grace Christian Elementary School.

In 2007, he earned a Doctor of Ministry degree, with a dissertation on congregational development, from Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.

In the fall of 2008, the 7th–12th-grade classes were moved into two beautifully renovated buildings at 1101 Buck Jones Road which GRACE purchased in a 50/50 joint venture with Hope Community Church.

In 2010, the field at 708 Buck Jones Road was developed into a high-quality athletic field for the GRACE soccer teams to use as their home venue.

She joined Grace in 2011 and oversees the financial needs of the Church and School.

Three years later, in 2013, football goalposts were added to the field to support GRACE’s first football team.

In 2017, Grace Christian Jr.