Historic Churches Endangered in Virginia
By Guest Writer on February 3rd, 2011Written by Sonja Ingram
Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly devout or a member of an organized religion, most people agree that religious buildings are special. Maybe it’s because of the momentous, often life-changing events that occur in churches and synagogues — baptisms, marriages, funerals—that make us perceive them differently. Or perhaps it is the beautiful architectural design of most churches or the spiritual beliefs that churches are “houses of God.” Whatever the explanation, churches are often the most cherished buildings in a community.
The Colonial Heights Baptist Church.
I recently found myself working on several preservation battles dealing with churches or church-owned properties. Colonial Heights Baptist Church, a turn–of-the-century church designed by the architect Herbert Levi Cain, is a dominant and iconic structure on the main boulevard through the City of Colonial Heights. The congregation of Colonial Heights Baptist Church outgrew the original church building and moved into a new structure in 2008. Since then the original church building has been owned by the City of Colonial Heights which, a few months ago, voted to completely demolish the church in order to build a much needed new courthouse at the central location.
This decision has not been without opposition. Locals, who have been advocating for saving Colonial Heights Baptist Church, created an inventive and economically achievable plan for the church’s reuse as the new courthouse. Unfortunately, this plan was not fully considered.
The decision to demolish seems to be rooted in the often heard (and flimsy) argument that to demolish and build anew would be the less expensive option.
“This decision by the City Council represents a major step forward in addressing the city’s needs for a new courthouse – a decade old dilemma,” said Colonial Heights Mayor Scott Davis. “I commend the City Council for its decision to continue with its commitment to the court and the general public – and to proceed with a courthouse concept that is the most economically feasible as it relates to costs for both construction and operations.”
Reusing Colonial Heights Baptist Church as a courthouse would not necessarily be more expensive than demolition and building new, especially when Virginia has one of the strongest rehabilitation tax credit programs in the nation. But what really matters is that no new building will boast the authenticity and character that the Colonial Heights Church does, nor would it embody the community spirit with the same impact.
Another church-related preservation concern in Virginia deals not with a church building itself, but with historical residential structures owned by churches which are often seen as hindrances to expansion plans. For example, the First Presbyterian Church in South Boston, Virginia recently voted to demolish an adjacent Victorian house citing the church’s need to expand. Once again, preservationists argue that the many successful church reuse projects are not being taken into consideration.
This is certainly not a new issue and many churches have been demolished over the years, but many success stories also exist. Partners for Sacred Places, a non-profit founded in 1989 to save churches and sacred places, has been very successful in fighting to protect churches and providing information on such topics as historic building maintenance.
In partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Partners for Sacred Places has compiled examples that show how various communities have successfully adapted their former religious properties for new uses—and retained them as important anchors and architectural landmarks.
As issues in churches and synagogues such as the need to expand or the decline of congregations continue to rise, there is a strong need to increase the awareness about the destruction of churches and sacred places across the nation. The answer lies in educating people about reuse and in convincing people to not be afraid of strategies that can suit the needs of the community, as well as save historically important and sacred structures.
Sonja Ingram is field representative for Preservation Virginia and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Contact her by email at singram@preservationvirginia.org.
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