St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church sold to developer Clear Global
A downtown church that has been facing high structural repair costs has been sold.
St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church, at the corner of Murray and Water Streets, was listed for sale in early January for $900,000.
The church issued a release Monday stating the building has been sold to local developer Clear Global Capital Ltd., with the deal closing Aug. 31.
Terms of the deal were not divulged in the release.
But Janet Halstead, clerk of session for the church, states in the release that the congregation won’t be moving out for at least six months after the deal closes.
That means churchgoers may continue to worship there until at least February, if not later.
Rev. Jonathan Baird states in the same release that St. Paul’s plans to lease a new space in the downtown soon to continue worshipping.
“St. Paul’s is ready for its next phase,” he states, adding that they want to continue ministry such as outreach to Syrian families and the operation of a small food bank.
Meanwhile Halstead also stated that Brock Mission – which is being temporarily housed in the hall of the church – can remain at St. Paul’s at least until their new building is constructed.
The former Brock Mission building has been torn down on Murray St., west of the historic YMCA. A new shelter is planned for construction on the same property later this year.
St. Paul’s church was built in 1859 at a cost of $20,000. The rotunda was added in 1885 and the hall was added in 1959.
The church guildhall is where the congregation now meets; it is accessed through the Water St. entrance.
Churchgoers haven’t worshipped in the sanctuary for years: It’s been deemed unsafe due to loose plaster and rotting support beams.
The Examiner reported in 2014 that church officials believed it would cost at least $2 million to repair the church on top of the $100,000 in annual maintenance just to keep the doors open.
Although a committee and a consultant are now considering whether the city police station next door needs expanded space, city officials said early this year the municipality isn’t interested in buying the church.
Allan Seabrooke, who was city CAO at the time, said city staff already considered the idea of purchasing St. Paul’s in 2017 but decided it wasn’t in the city’s best interest.
The idea of buying the church was dismissed, Seabrooke said, based on factors such as the cost to buy the property as well as the cost to either demolish or restore it.
As of early this year, St. Paul’s lacked a heritage designation — but it was listed among roughly 100 historic downtown buildings that hold heritage value.
That means if a buyer applied for a demolition permit, there would be a 60-day waiting period — time enough for council to place a heritage designation on the building if it voted to do so.