An Anglican church wants to own a 172-year-old building in Lincolnshire even as a developer moves through a tentative plan to demolish the structure to make room for a new shopping center, featuring a Buona Italian beef restaurant.
Currently, the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ own the old building, which held the former Washburn Congregational Church, but the group has a contract to sell the building to River Forest-based Keystone Ventures.
The development firm recently presented initial plans to Lincolnshire Village Board members to purchase three lots and tear down the former Washburn buildings, along with a vacant house, located on the northwest corner of Milwaukee Avenue and Olde Half Day Road.
In its place, Keystone Ventures has proposed adding the Buona restaurant within 20,000 square feet of new business space.
Since the proposal was announced, officials with the North Shore branch of the Church of the Redeemer revealed how they have talked with representatives from the United Church of Christ about purchasing and renovating the 172-year-old building that used to house worship services.
“It needs quite a bit of work, but that’s part of the plan,” said Rev. Canon Jay Greener, rector of the Church of the Redeemer branch. “If we bought it, people would look at it after we’re done and say, ‘Hey, that’s beautiful.'”
Founded in 1998, the Church of the Redeemer branch has rented spaces in Wilmette and Highland Park, and the church currently hosts worship services for its 150 members at the Trinity International University campus in Deerfield.
But the church hasn’t had a permanent, centralized location, Greener said. Although he acknowledged the purchase of the Lincolnshire building is a long shot, Greener noted how the church has about a $2 million budget for a building purchase and renovations.
Rev. Jorge Morales, of the Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ, said members often prefer to sell buildings to other worship groups.
Morales also wouldn’t comment on the group’s asking price for the Lincolnshire building or how many interested buyers they’ve talked to about the property.
“We like to keep some kind of legacy,” Morales said. “If a church can operate there, that’s often what they want.”
If the Church of the Redeemer branch ultimately did purchase the building, the United Church of Christ conference would have to break its contract with Keystone Ventures, officials said.
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If the move happened, the business partners with Keystone Ventures would have to talk about the proposed shopping center in Lincolnshire and whether plans could be modified, said developer Timothy Hague.
Since United Church of Christ does have that contract in place with Keystone Ventures, members with the Church of the Redeemer have started looking at other sites for a permanent location, Greener said.
“There’s a divine plan for the church and that’ll become known,” he said. “We’re just trying to stay patient. There’s been great people we’ve met along the way. We know one day it’ll bear fruit.”
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