Local group to rally for East Village church

Members of preservation and community groups will take to the streets Wednesday to show support for a 100-year-old East Village church at risk of being demolished.

The rally will be held at 6 p.m. at Mary Help of Christians Church at 436 E. 12th St., a lot developer Doug Steiner bought to turn into new apartments and ground-floor retail.

Andrew Berman of the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation said the lot has enough open space to develop without destroying any buildings. Steiner's spokeswoman declined to comment.