`Circle Church' demolition marks the end of an era
After years of starts and stops and nearly a month of demolition, local developers of the “Circle Church” property at 111 Errett Circle in Santa Cruz successfully leveled the last of the muraled structure Tuesday afternoon and hope to have the site ready for construction later this year.
“The ground is a little wet right now,” property co-owner Brett Packer said Wednesday evening. “We've got some site work to do that we're hoping to start in the summer when the ground dries up a bit. I will say though that it feels really good to finally be doing this instead of thinking about it and talking about it — having more meetings and inching our way through the process. We're good to go now.”
In the center of the Westside neighborhood known colloquially as the circles, the now-demolished Garfield Park Christian Church had stood since 1958 and its predecessor, which burned down in 1935, called the Garfield Park Tabernacle was completed in 1890 and named in honor of 19th President James Garfield. The series of concentric streets were built around the original tabernacle and cottages soon popped up around the centerpiece.
In December 2017, the approximately
1.6-acre property and church building were sold to a group of investors known as the Circle of Friends, which includes Packer, with plans to develop the property into a ring of homes. Many in the nearby neighborhoods initially challenged the development and signs reading “Save the heart of the Circles,” still are hanging from the porches of houses surrounding the now-razed structure.
The demolition process began at the start of April and was conducted by the Circle of Friends group with Packer, a homebuilder by trade, operating the excavator.
“I've demoed houses before and do my own earthwork and this helped keep the costs down,” Packer said. “It's hard work but there's also a satisfying feeling that comes with doing it yourself.”
Packer mentioned that he had mixed feelings while razing the structure as he is aware of the church's meaning to the surrounding community and because he used to bring his kids to the neighborhood hub to play when they were young.
“I am sad to tear it down,” Packer said. “My kids played basketball here and it's a beautiful place and an important part of Santa Cruz. But soon we'll
have some housing and kind of get a fresh start. I am excited but also feeling some sadness.”
Thursday morning, days after the church's center steeple was felled by the excavator piloted by Packer, the absence of the building still brings a sense of shock and amazement to those who live around it, such as Tim Smith, who was never able to see the Circle Market from his driveway until this week.
“It's a done deal now,” Smith said. “This is about change and either embracing it or resisting it and at this point, I can't really resist it because it's happening anyway, whether I like it
or not. And not just here but in other parts of the city.”
For Smith, the greatest loss to the neighborhood is the communal space and he will miss the classes and activities that occurred in the church building over the years, including the recent art festivals organized by the Liminal Space Collective.
“I feel a final loss of the community space even though I understand the pressure to build more housing in Santa Cruz,” Smith said. “I feel sadness basically, even though I knew it was inevitable.”
Other nearby residents, such as Karie Lepito, who was making her way around Errett Circle on Thursday morning, are hopeful for the future development of the property. Although she is sad to see the church building go, Lepito mentioned it had become a
nexus of nefarious activities recently, such as trespassing.
“It's sad because it's been a landmark there forever and it will be missed as a community space,” Lepito said. “But also this is what happens. Things change. My husband is the total opposite. He doesn't want more people and more cars, but I am trying to stay positive and open-minded and we'll see how it all works out.”
Packer said that the completion of the entire development is still years down the road, but he plans on having the property cleared of debris in the coming weeks.
“I hope we build something beautiful and that this new phase is good for the community and ultimately builds community and provides some much needed housing,” he said.