If you’ve driven through Montauk, you know the building. It sits along Montauk Highway, set slightly back from the road, with its stone tower and low connected wings extending from it. Today, it feels settled into the landscape, especially in winter when the surroundings quiet down.
But when it was first built, it stood in a very different setting. In 1929, the church rose out of open land near the ocean, with little around it beyond sand, brush, and the road itself. What feels like a natural part of Montauk today was, at the time, a new structure in a place still being shaped.
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The church’s origins are tied directly to Carl Fisher, the developer behind Montauk’s large-scale transformation in the 1920s.
As part of that effort:
- Fisher donated about an acre of land along Montauk Highway
- The donation came with a condition that the church had to be completed within one year
At the same time, a local congregation was just beginning to organize.
- Members of the Presbytery of Long Island had previously been meeting in the Montauk Theater
- In early 1928, they formally organized as the Montauk Community Church
- A building council was formed to oversee the project
This was not an established parish expanding. It was a newly formed group working against a fixed deadline.
Construction began in the winter of 1928 under the direction of the Pearson Construction Company. From the beginning, it relied heavily on local support.
- Community members contributed labor, materials, and equipment
- Volunteers assisted with excavation, electrical work, painting, and landscaping
- Trucks were provided to transport building supplies
The building itself reflects that effort.
- Much of the stone used in construction was gathered locally
- Members of the church transported the materials to the site
- Some accounts suggest the stone may have come from earlier structures associated with Montauk’s Indigenous history
Even with a one-year requirement, the project moved quickly.
- The church was incorporated in June 1928 under Presbyterian governance
- A fundraising campaign brought in about $42,000, along with a $14,000 loan
- The construction contract was awarded in November 1928
- The cornerstone was laid on December 31, 1928
Just a few months later:
- The first service was held on Easter Sunday, March 31, 1929
That pace reflects both the deadline and the level of community involvement.
During the cornerstone ceremony, several items were sealed inside the cornerstone:
- A copy of the Herald Tribune
- Arrowheads found during excavation
- Documents intended for future generations
These items were meant to preserve a record of the church’s founding at a specific moment in Montauk’s development. Although organized under the Presbyterian Church, the congregation was broader in scope from the beginning.
- It was established as an interdenominational church
- Christians of different backgrounds were invited to participate
- It served both local residents and visitors
- One detail that remains true today. It is still the only Protestant church in Montauk
Today, the Montauk Community Church remains an active part of the hamlet, continuing the role it was built for nearly a century ago. Affiliated with the Presbyterian Church USA but open to all denominations, it serves both year-round residents and the steady flow of visitors who pass through Montauk. Regular Sunday services are still held, along with seasonal programs, community events, and outreach efforts. In a town that has changed significantly over the decades, the church has remained a consistent presence, both in appearance and in purpose.
Photo: Eugene L. Armbruster, Church at Montauk, Montauk Highway (Oceanside), East Hampton, June 1929. Courtesy of the New York Public Library, Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy. Digital Collections.
