The start of a big transformation is beginning this week at
Lafayette Presbyterian Church on the corner of Elmwood and Lafayette Avenues.
Starting this Friday at 9:30 a.m. the Church will be having an estate sale of
the remaining furniture and other items before the transformation from Church
to apartments takes place. In depth information on the sale is located on the
Sweet and Harding website here.
Lafayette Presbyterian was designed by the Lansing and
Beierl and was constructed between 1894 and 1896. The medina sandstone building
will now have a new life as apartments that will respect the architectural
integrity of the building.
During my recent walkthrough, Reverend Drew Ludwig was
anxious and excited for the new change to come. “This is the beginning of new
chapter for Lafayette Church,” said Ludwig, “We can’t wait to see what happens
when we take all of the energy, time, and money that once went into the
buildings into serving our community.”
The apartments are designed with an open floor plan to highlight
all the beautiful architectural features. Each unit will be unique and range
from one to two bedrooms, many of the units will also feature loft space. The
apartments will be professionally managed and offered at market rates. The architecture and engineering firm of Carmina Wood Morris has taken over the project and is in charge of the design and historic tax credits.
Since the redevelopment will be utilizing historic tax
credits the sanctuary space must remain largely unchanged because it is a
character defining feature of the building. As a result apartments will be
limited to other locations throughout the complex and the sanctuary space will
serve as a gathering space. The upcoming sale even includes many of the church
pews so that the sanctuary can utilize a larger gathering space towards the
rear.
So the big question, is the church closing? “Far from it!”
said Rev. Drew, “After the renovations, we will still have a larger-than
average physical plant, with room for us to practice hospitality and grow. The building will be preserved, and we will
go from an annual budget deficit to having funds to reinvest in the Elmwood
Village.”
The estate sale runs this Friday through Sunday from 9:30 am
to 4:00 pm on Friday and Saturday and noon to 4:00 pm on Sunday. Come out this
week to see some fantastic offerings and enjoy the “before” to truly appreciate
the transformation that is coming to his Elmwood Village landmark. Keep up to
date on construction (completion slated for January 2013) by liking Lafayette
Lofts on Facebook.
For addition photos of my visit to the church including more of the sanctuary space, click here.