Efforts Continue to Save Old Presbyterian Church from Demolition
Concerns of demolition continue to linger for a old First Presbyterian Church in Montgomery.
“It’s just too much of an important building to lose. Once it’s gone, it’s gone,” says Michael Panhorst, Executive Director of Landmarks Foundation in Montgomery.
The owners – First Baptist Church Montgomery have plans to demolish the building. Jay Wolf, pastor of First Baptist says it’s not structurally sound and would cost nearly $3 million to repair. However, Michael Panhorst of Landmarks Foundation in Montgomery says it’s worth saving.
“They may perceive it as a money pit. I manage 48 19th century buildings for the city of Montgomery at Landmarks and I know that there is a cost but I also know that the value of these older buildings is greater than the economic value,” says Panhorst.
Panhorst says, historic preservation projects are less expensive than new construction.
“Certainly in hard dollar costs because you don’t have the cost of demolition and rebuilding you’re adapting rather than starting from scratch. In addition to hard dollar costs there are some soft dollar costs. You’re not putting so much material into landfills, if you’re not demolishing buildings,” says Panhorst.
Wolf says otherwise.
“What we would spend just to stabilize the old building. We can build an entire facility for less,” says Wolf.
For now, First Baptist plans to keep the bell tower of the church but Panhorst is hoping more is saved, especially the sanctuary.
“It would really be ashamed to lose that part – a major part of the building. It would just devastate – what would be left would just be a fragment of the original,” says Panhorst.
Panhorst says me he hopes to meet with Pastor Jay Wolf on the future of the church – to come up with other solutions rather than demolition.
