Whither Tacoma's Historic Churches?
Tacoma’s First Congregational Church at the corner of Division and J Streets is about to come on the market. The historic 500 seat sanctuary, built in 1908, now hosts just 40 members – up from a few years ago, but not enough to sustain the space. The asking price will be $1.9 million.
Once upon a time, in the early days of Exit133, we had the ongoing story of First United Methodist Church. The historic church was located around the corner from First Congrational. It was sold, demolished, and became an Emergency Room. The twists and turns in that saga of historic preservation left a lot of people exhausted and wondering if we would learn from that experience.
Now we have another great piece of sacred architecture at risk. There is no buyer yet. Multicare doesn’t seem particularly interested. Maybe another church will take over the space. Maybe it’ll sit empty. Maybe someone will come up with an idea for adaptive reuse.
Without a congregation to fill the seats, saving the space will take vision – with a decent sized pocketbook.
Link to The News Tribune
Previously on Exit133: First United Methodist Church article list
Filed under: History
12 comments
T Timothy Smith May 16, 2012
At the 15 May City council meeting the Historic Preservation folks gave an update on their activities for 2011 highlighting buildings and neighborhoods brought into the “fold”. They should also have run an “Oscars” style R.I.P. list of the buildings we lost.
F fredo May 16, 2012
The old buildings really give cities their character and make them a place worth caring about. OTOH many of these interesting structures have limited potential for reuse. I’m thinking of places like old breweries and old churches. Their peculiar design makes it hard to find new uses.
Here are two factors which work AGAINST historic preservation.
1. Stringent building codes which require all sorts of expensive upgrades, sprinklers, structural improvements. etc.
2. High labor costs mandated by the voters and/or the government which are in excess of actual market rates.
Resolve these two issues and you will see a huge upswing in the interest and the ability of the public to execute effective historic preservation policies.
P Published Author RR Anderson May 16, 2012
maybe it would help if they marketed it as an emergency room for your soul?
S Steven Lindsey May 17, 2012
Yep… Tacoma’s got to start saving what heritage is left…. You’ve already lost so much. Soon, there won’t be any reason to visit. Should you lose your city’s identity.
Hon. Steven W Lindsey
state rep
Keene, NH
C Christine May 19, 2012
Aurrgh! I hate structural improvements like safe wiring and seismic retrofitting! Waste of money if you ask me. You go in a building you should take your chances, that’s what my old grampa did and he lived to be 90.
Now really, that’s plain silly. For any modern use these buildings need retrofitting. Some were built before electricity was widely available and have been hobbed together over the years. Same for plumbing, and when you convert any single-purpose building into something new, there is a lot of expensive work to be done.
It does still come out cheaper than that silly Urban Waters drive-thru on the Foss. So that’s good.
And just whom would you hire to do your remodel? A licensed, bonded, albiet more expensive contractor; or some guy named Bill that you found on STW who says he knows wiring and plumbing “real good” and will do it real cheap. (No offense meant to STW.)
M Mary Krumrey May 19, 2012
First Congregational is hoping that another congregation will step forward who needs a larger building and do a buy or a swap for a smaller building and some cash. They haven’t been able to attract a large tenant into their education building since the economy went bad and have been deficit spending for several years. If they could attract a large tenant, they wouldn’t leave the space at all.
F fredo May 19, 2012
Christine, I never said that improved buildings weren’t better than unimproved buildings. Nor did I say that expensive contractors couldn’t get the job done.
I said that expensive code provisions and expensive labor made it less likely that many of our older buildings could be saved. If, at the end of the day, the old structure is just a pile of rubble, what good did the building codes and high labor costs accomplish?
M Mary Krumrey May 19, 2012
The Knights of Pythias group has always been preservation minded. That too could change without an influx of preservation minded new members. Phillip Blackledge, trustee chairman at First Congregational is now willing to see the church torn down if that’s their only option. For years he led the fight for preservation at that site. After 8 years as board chairman engaged in deficit spending, resistance now seems futile. TG might have a new cued shaped parking garage.
C Christine May 20, 2012
Fredo, I don’t think we disagree on this, just sorta seeing it a different way. What code provisions are expensive and could be dropped? I have never been in any type of building industry, so I haven’t a clue of what the rules are. Other than wiring, plumbing, seismic and enough safety exits, what else needs to be done to be up to code? Anyone? BTW, I love the old buildings and I believe it more than worth the extra money to repurpose them, as long as it is reasonable. As someone else said, most of these new buildings won’t even be standing in 25 years, let alone the 80-100 years of Pacific Northwet* wear and tear. (*wet was used intentionally, not a typo.)
M Mofo from the Hood May 22, 2012
A church is not a building. It’s a Christian fellowship concerned about God, conforming themselves to His revelation, and thinking and acting with a view to the eternal destiny of their souls.
That said, many people outside of traditional Christian fellowship have been influenced and inspired by the faith’s house’s of worship. The buildings are evidence of the spiritual heights that man can achieve when he see’s himself as created in God’s image.
For over a hundred years, Christian congregations worldwide, with the possible exception of Catholics, have been constantly battling internally because of pressures to entertain, and appease radical reformers, rather than steadfastly informing the congregation of the Bible’s unchanging Truth.
As Christian leadership strayed from their fundamental purpose, so did the congregations stray from the leadership, and from the buildings.
F fredo May 22, 2012
The old buildings are expensive to remodel but…
What if?
What if we could bring in a work crew from an unnamed country which could perform the work at a very reasonable cost, per code, no questions asked. Would anybody have a problem with this? It might mean that some people on the job site are only earning a couple of dollars per hour, but the end result is we still have the building and it’s completely rehabilitated. Preserved for another generation as it were.
M Mary Krumrey May 22, 2012
CLAW should pool their money and buy the building. John Hathaway could set up office and publish the New Takhoman and RR Anderson could be the head Deacon. That would leave Michael Shavis as the pastor. Dave Lisecki could function as both the inner and outer guard.