Standing proudly at 358 Pacific Street in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn, the former Cuyler Presbyterian Church is far more than a restored architectural landmark. It serves as an enduring sanctuary of urban memory, community resilience, and cultural transformation.
Erected in the late 19th century, the Gothic Revival structure provided spiritual guidance and social refuge for generations of Brooklyn residents. When mid-century economic and demographic shifts closed many local sanctuaries, the Cuyler Church adapted, transforming its halls into an anchor for communities forging new roots in an evolving city.
Between the 1920s and 1960s, Boerum Hill became the heart of New York City’s vibrant Mohawk community, known affectionately as “Little Caughnawaga.” Haudenosaunee ironworkers—celebrated globally as “Skywalkers”—journeyed from the Kahnawake and Akwesasne reserves to help forge the modern American skyline.
Without harnesses and with exceptional balance, these Mohawk craftsmen erected the steel skeletons of iconic landmarks:
The Empire State Building
The Chrysler Building
Rockefeller Center
The George Washington Bridge
During this transformative period, the Cuyler Church served as the social and spiritual core for these ironworkers and their families. It hosted bilingual church services in the Mohawk language, community feasts, wedding celebrations, and cultural pow-wows. The Cuyler-Mohawk Museum preserves this courageous heritage, ensuring that the indigenous hands that built modern New York remain honored and remembered.
By the late 20th century, the historic chapel faced severe deterioration and the risk of demolition. Recognizing the building’s irreplaceable historical and cultural value, Museum Director and Owner Lewis M. Okser undertook a decades-long restoration effort.
Through meticulous preservation, the building was revived from a ruined state into an official National Trust Historic landmark. The vaulted ceilings, Gothic window frames, and open congregational spaces were preserved, establishing a free open house and community forum that serves historians, educators, and neighbors alike.
Today, the restored sanctuary houses an extraordinary collection of over 3,000 physical artifacts and an archive of more than 28,000 digital records. The museum pairs the structural legacy of New York’s builders with the artistic movements that defined the early-to-mid 20th century:
Art Deco Elegance: Bold geometric forms, intricate metalwork, and opulent decorative arts reflecting the optimistic spirit of 1920s and 1930s industrial America.
Mid-Century Innovation: Functional, clean-lined furniture, lighting, and industrial design objects tracing post-war modernism and domestic transformation.
Cross-Cultural Dialogue: Rare indigenous artifacts, African Americana, African sculpture, and Chinese Americana collections that examine diverse cultural contributions to American visual history.
The Cuyler-Mohawk Museum is an active storytelling environment. By connecting the architectural strength of Mohawk ironworkers with the visual language of 20th-century American design, the museum honors those who shaped our physical and aesthetic landscape.
Whether exploring our historic archive online or visiting Pacific Street in person, visitors encounter a rare intersection of labor, community, and fine art that continues to inspire.