The New York City Department of Buildings Web site shows that an undated demolition permit for the ill-fated parish is on file. A curious squib recently appeared in the Villager, a local paper covering Vilnius's neighborhood:

On a stroll through Hudson Square on Monday, we passed Our Lady ofVilnius Church on Broome St. by the Holland Tunnel. A fellow workingthere from Shannon Abatement popped his head out of the door. He saidhe was part of a crew removing asphalt floor tiles for what he calledpredemolition. He also said hed heard the vacant church which hasdamaged trusses, putting the roof at risk of collapse was sold to adeveloper and that there had been lots of interest. But JosephZwilling, the Catholic Archdiocese of New Yorks spokesperson, said ofthe church, Its not for sale and it has not been sold. Asked ifplans are to demolish it, he said, Thats to be determined. Asked ifdevelopers have been expressing interest, he said, None that Im awareof but its not for sale anyway.

Update: As dotCommonweal reader Patrick Molloy helpfully points out in the comment boxes below, it's not uncommon for undated demolition permits to be on file for NYC properties. He writes, "When the entries are undated the system seems to use the last twodigits in the job number. Thus the demolition entry for Our Lady ofVilnius, No DP 305-10 most likely refers to a demolition in 1910. Iknow the parish was established in 1909 but Im assuming that 1910 is,as the saying has it, 'close enough for government work.'" I've edited this post to reflect that information. (Many thanks for the clarification, Patrick.) Click here for a brief post detailing one parishioner's witnessing possible abatement work.