CANTON – A vacant church is being reimagined as a childcare center and community hub called the Gibbs Avenue Center.
It’s all part of Canton For All People’s mission to revitalize neighborhoods and provide resources to residents. In this case, they’re starting with the youngest community members.
The space at 1345 Gibbs Ave. NE was once home to the Calvary United Methodist Church. It sits across the street from Gibbs Elementary. Most recently the building housed the Canton Calvary Mission, which served Canton through a food pantry, free clothing and youth programs.
The agency closed in 2022 after being struck by hardship.
Director of Canton For All People, Rev. Don Ackerman said many people relied on the services provided by the mission.
Ackerman expressed interest in the building, hoping to return resources to the community. It was donated to Canton for All People by the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church in 2024.
“When you leave these kinds of assets … and you just let them rot into the ground, it’s not good for anybody,” Ackerman said.
The adaptive re-use project is a way to give the old building new life and to bring some of those services back to the community, Ackerman said. Work by McKinley Construction has involved updates to lighting, insulation, floors, windows and plumbing throughout the facility. An elevator will also be installed to ensure all floors are accessible.
The renovation project has cost $2.6 million, with over half coming from community partners. Canton For All People contributed $600,000 to the project, according to Ackerman.
Once complete, the building will have three main spaces: a community space, a daycare and a kitchen. The project is expected to wrap up late this summer.
What is the Gibbs Avenue Center?
The old church sanctuary will become a community space for surrounding neighborhoods.
The space is open where church pews once filled the room. The ceilings are tall, accommodating original sanctuary galleries. Sunlight is filtered through stained glass windows.
The space will host a range of events: movie nights, Canton Symphony concerts, birthday parties and more, Ackerman said.
Crews are also working to install and renovate the lower level, transforming it into a kitchen area.
The Gibbs Kitchen will be multi-functional. It will feed daycare students every day. It will also serve several free community meals a week, as well as outside catering services.
For every meal catered, Ackerman said, the kitchen will give another away for free.
Childcare center aims to put families first
The idea for the childcare center started with a question: how can the space be used to best serve the community? Public feedback pointed to a need for youth services.
The education wing of the building will be run by the YMCA of Central Stark County.
There are about 70 slots open to children, with priority given to families living in housing sold by or rented from Canton For All People.
There’s room for eight infants, 24 toddlers, 15 preschoolers and 24 pre-kindergarteners, according to Heidi Wilson, the YMCA of Central Stark County’s vice president of childcare.
Wilson said the building will also facilitate programming for school-age children.
Upgrades will include renovated classrooms, each with cubbies and bathrooms. A gross-motor space will promote activities indoors, while the courtyard is being transformed for the installation of a new playground.
The second floor of the childcare center will have an art and music room, a designated teacher space and a room dedicated to offering resources for families.
The YMCA partners with the state of Ohio for funding, as well as providing in-house scholarships.
“This is who we are,” Wilson said. “Just bringing access to high-quality childcare to people who couldn’t ordinarily afford it or have transportation challenges, whatever the case may be. That’s our multi-mission goal.”
Wilson said she hopes the space becomes a “one-stop shop” for families.
As construction continues, Canton For All People and the YMCA is preparing behind the scenes. Staff is being hired. Community engagement is underway. The goal is to reach families who need resources the most, but may not know how to access them.
“It’s a space where people need that feeling of community, and we’re going to be able to do that in this building,” Wilson said.
For more information on the Gibbs Avenue Center Childcare Center, Heidi Wilson can be reached at hwilson@ymcastark.org or 330-491-9622.
Contact Abreanna Blose by email at ablose@usatodayco.com or by phone at 330 -580-8513.
This article originally appeared on The Repository: ‘Feeling of community.’ Vacant NE Canton church gets new life
Reporting by Abreanna Blose, Canton Repository / The Repository
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Abreanna Blose, Canton Repository | USA TODAY Network
