SOUTH BEND — After years of neighbors voicing concerns regarding the condition of the New Birth Christian Ministries church at 747 to 749 Harrison Avenue, the 1920s building is officially coming down this June.
Originally built as a Lutheran church, the church, Deputy Director of Community Investment Joseph Molnar said, has been passed down to a few different congregations, most recently New Birth Christian Ministries.
The city purchased the property from the church and officially closed the sale in January, but invisible issues within the building meant the demolition had to return to the city’s Board of Public Works for more funding.
The initial inspection of the building revealed that part of the building had endured more deterioration than expected.
“Partial portions of the building were flooded, specifically the basement,” Molnar said. “We were able to drain the basement. More asbestos was found in the basement than was originally anticipated. … Because there was so much water damage in the sanctuary space, the plaster walls had actually seeped and kind of melted into the basement, which contained a lot of asbestos.”
The Board of Public Works approved a $91,437, or 20.6%, funding increase and extended the completion date from June 30 to the end of August at it May 26 meeting.
The increase in time will help the demolition happen safely, Molnar said, without negatively impacting surrounding neighbors.
Molnar said this is just one of the many demolitions happening across South Bend as the city makes a push to tear down blighted properties that lead to negative consequences for neighborhoods, and Near Northwest residents were clear that the old church had to go.
The city reached out to entities that do historic restorations to see if the church could be given another life, Molnar said, because the goal wasn’t to tear it down. Falling bricks and collapsing walls made it impossible for the building to be repaired, and it quickly became a safety hazard as children and adults bypassed the fencing that was supposed to keep people out.
Although the city’s main priority now is to remove the structure, Molnar said, the lot could potentially become housing because of its location in the heart of Near Northwest Neighborhood.
“It’s not really a good place for commercial being surrounded by residential on all sides,” Molnar said. “The city has had recent success working with local nonprofits to build new affordable housing in the area like the Near Northwest Neighborhood, Inc. and Cross Community, so, I imagine there’ll be some type of push to do something on that lot, but at this time, there’s no definitive plans.”
Email South Bend Tribune business reporter Jessica Velez at jvelez@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: 1920s church building beyond salvaging; South Bend to begin demolition
Reporting by Jessica Velez, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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