Plans to demolish an aging church near 7th Avenue and Fillmore Street and replace it with a 122-unit apartment development have some nearby residents concerned about history.
Trumont Group is under contract to buy the Mercy Hill Church for its planned apartment development. The church plans to use the funds from the sale to build a new facility nearby on land it also owns.
Along with funding the new location, church officials say the existing building has fallen into disrepair and would take between $2M and $4M to restore. They want to avoid the burden of trying to keep up an aged building while still remaining in the community.
The church has a demolition permit in place and has worked through several designs with Trumont Group for redevelopment. Neighborhood residents had asked that the new development keep the character of the 1940s-built existing building.
They had also said they would like to see as much of the existing building as possible incorporated into the new facility, including the bell tower and sanctuary. Those elements are not in the current design.
The current design maintains the Spanish-inspired look of the church and incorporates brick elements to address that goal. Trumont Group representatives have said they are working with the design and engineering teams to see what components, if any, can be retained from the original structure.
Trumont Group has requested rezoning and plans to close the purchase when the request is approved. (Source)
