Inner City Churches being sold for development (America, worship, organization)

[magellan]

Due to the "graying" of America, especially in cities, and the shifting of families from the city neighborhoods out to the suburbs, many old churches are being sold for development: ie offices, condos, organizational uses. This has been a pretty heated topic lately in our area because a church that is well over 100 years old with some astonishing architecture is being sold for a condo project. The "church" that has inhabited the building no longer needs all the space since their attendance is about 1/4 of its peek, and the land (close to downtown) is worth a lot more as a different use. The city can also start collecting taxes on the land after it is developed.

What are your thoughts on this? Should every effort be made to save these old church buildings so that many people can enjoy the architecture and history? Or should "churches" (the people) be more concerned about serving their mission and not so much about the structure they reside in?

Thanks

[sun]

That's the kind of situation that happened in my smaller city. A gorgeous old medieval, gothic looking Methodist church was faced with getting torn down due to needing more repairs than the dwindling congregation could afford.
Somehow the building was purchased and preserved mostly intact to provide a new home for a local non-profit theater company and for presenting other musical concerts & performances. There were probably some loans & grants involved that just wouldn't have been made available if the building had remained a church. So it was a win - win for the building, Main St. where the building was located, the congregation members who were able to move without demolishing the building, and for the public at large, since it was converted into a great auditorium while preserving the fine acoustics and architectural features.

[Padgett2]

If a use can be found for the building that preserves it's physical beauty, then I think that's just wonderful.

If it's just an ordinary building that has a small congregation, then sell it and use that money to try to build up a congregation in an area that needs a church.

Anyway.....I think a sale is good in such a situation. The money can do a lot of good.

[arguy1973]

To me its just a building as far as the church itself is concerned, tear it down, build a new one elsewhere. however maybe as far as history for the structure, the city might buy it and renovate it for something else.

[magellan]

I should have clarified my OP. Many of these churches are being kept as is on the exterior, with the interior split up into offices and/or condos. So the beautiful interior architecture (windows, soaring ceilings, archways, capitals, etc.) are embedded in condominiums and only enjoyed by those who can afford to buy them (usually at $400+/sf) or rent the office space.

I don't have a problem with it personally, because I'm just glad to see the historic bones of the building protected and the urban fabric that they create maintained. The building is just a "means" for the congregation to gather, and if it is too expensive and not flexible for modern worship, then they should move, IMESHO.

However, you'd be surprised how many vocal opponents there are.