[MassHistPres] Church Re-Use

[Brian Badrigian]

I am in the midst of a church conversion to residential.  I can say that it is by far the most costly and most time consuming way to create usable space.  That said it seems to be a unique way to preserve an important piece of architecture and give back to a community.  As previously said many of these buildings simply could not be reproduced and because of that the community needs to protect these treasures.  It seems that many non-profits cannot keep up with the costs of operating and maintaining these costly buildings and hence are having to fold their tents, move on, and sell to the highest bidder.  Perhaps stringent zoning and review regulations can be put in place as an offset to the tax-exempt status given to the church congregation; or perhaps onerous assessments put on the property.  Towns can offer real incentives to developers if they agree to deeded demolition and architectural change restrictions.  Or if the community can create support for these properties perhaps the towns can purchase the buildings using bonds, real estate tax credits from the state and historic credits from the federal and state governments; leases to the state or federal government for office space, post offices, etc;  how about something like the affordable housing requirement for new projects being applied to this cause.  Private donations of materials and labor may be sought out as with Habitat for Humanity.  I realize that this may seem to be wishful thinking but, as most of us agree, these truly are irreplacable buildings that make up the rich past of communities.  Sorry if I am preaching to the choir. Are there any groups within the state government that can lead the towns ? Uniform regulations by towns for these properties might lead to a stronger position and control the fate of these buildings.  Would it help if a group of us met with established organizations to discuss possibilities?

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Burks, Sarah<mailto:sburks at cambridgema.gov> 
  To: 'slater at alum.rpi.edu'<mailto:'slater at alum.rpi.edu'> ; masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu> 
  Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 4:04 PM
  Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Church Re-Use


  I would say that the reasons for re-use of church buildings in other communities could be several. In Cambridge, the existing church buildings often occupy more of the lot and thereby capture a greater floor area than would be allowed with new construction. The community outcry to demolition and attempts at stopping the project through lawsuits would certainly be something to be avoided if possible. And there is inherent value in the design of the churches. It's hard if not impossible to build a new building like that with the cost and limited availability of some materials, level of craftsmanship, cost of labor, etc.

  Many communities are in need of large spaces that can be used by the community for things like community centers, art galleries, etc. but the money and support have to be there to take on that type of change of use, especially when the commercial buyers are at the ready. I would second the comment that the easiest and best re-use would be another church congregation. If the building isn't officially on the market, other church groups might not be aware that the building is available. Get some publicity in the paper and get the word out to churches, residential developers, innkeepers, artists, community groups, etc.

  Sarah Burks

  -----Original Message-----
  From: masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu>
  [mailto:masshistpres-bounces at cs.umb.edu]On Behalf Of slater at alum.rpi.edu<mailto:slater at alum.rpi.edu>
  Sent: Wednesday, November 21, 2007 3:15 PM
  To: masshistpres at cs.umb.edu<mailto:masshistpres at cs.umb.edu>
  Subject: Re: [MassHistPres] Church Re-Use


  Thanks for the responses to this thread. I ordered the booklet "How to
  Organize a Preservation Development Charrette", hopefully I'll learn
  something from it.

  Unfortunately, I didn't quite get the answer to my question, and it
  looks like it could be too late in the game. There has been talk that
  the church has been purchased with an eye to tear it down for a
  drive-through type development. The Springfield Historical Commission
  has no legal control over the structure, and the property is already
  zoned for business so there is little municipal recourse.

  My original question was "how do we catalyze the reuse of a church". The
  problem is that there does not appear to be any demand for reuse -- and
  I was looking for a method or technique to drum this demand up.

  I'd be curious to know WHY some of the church reuse projects happened.
  It's certainly a more difficult road to take than demolition. Was it
  because of LHD inclusion? Was it because of someone undertaking a labor
  of love? Was it because of government incentives? Was it because of
  significant opposition to the demolition?

  Ralph Slate
  Springfield, MA
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