A church in Manhattan's east village, built by the first wave of Irish immigrants escaping the Famine in the 1840s, is due to be demolished by the Archdiocese of New York.
St Brigid's Church, known locally as the "Famine church", was built in 1848 by Irish architect Patrick Keely. In recent years it has fallen into disrepair and it hasn't been in regular use since 2001.
There is no date set for demolition, but there are fears that the archdiocese wants to raze it before the adjoining school reconvenes after the summer holidays.
"The church is such a big part of our history," said Patti Kelly of the Save St Brigid's Church campaign.
She added: "Having been built by people seeking a better life, it is a symbol of hope in our city. Our Cardinal (Edward) Egan seems to be closing churches arbitrarily. He is just tearing down buildings to raise money."
A spokesman for Cardinal Egan admitted it was the plan of the archdiocese to demolish the building, but denied that the motive was to raise money by selling the site.
"It's always sad when a church has to be closed, but the reality is that this church is in danger of collapse," said archdiocese spokesman Joseph Zwilling.
"We are aware of the significance of the church. Perhaps we will memorialise it in some way at a later date . . . we have no plan as yet for the site. We are considering several options."
St Brigid's was one of the first of more than 700 churches Patrick Keely designed.
However, the church has severe structural damage. The back wall is badly cracked and has separated from the rest of the building. It is thought that renovating the church would cost around $6.9 million (€5.65 million).
A wealthy parishioner offered to pay for the repairs but no agreement was negotiated between him and the archdiocese.
The east village area of New York lost another church earlier this year when the archdiocese sold nearby St Ann's, built in 1847, for $15 million to a developer who is converting it into apartments.
Most of that church was demolished earlier this year, but preservationists are trying to incorporate the building's tower and facade into the new structure.
"So much of our history is being destroyed. How many tall buildings do you need anyway? The new buildings that are replacing the historic ones have no character," said Ms Kelly.
"We are trying to stop them from destroying St Brigid's and so far we have succeeded. But it is quite a battle."