One of Crown Point’s oldest churches, 139-year-old Trinity Lutheran, is facing demolition.
The Crown Point Board of Public Works and Safety last week voted unanimously to reaffirm the unsafe building order, issued last December, and to proceed with demolition after Mayor Pete Land explained that redevelopment plans had fallen through.
Land said Creekside Outdoor Living had been looking to restore Trinity but was unable to reach an agreement to buy the historic church from the 1886 Foundation, which owns it.
Land said he was told the foundation wouldn’t approve the sale of the property unless there were assurances that the church would be part of the renovations.
Mike Arnold, president of Creekside, told city officials they needed to assess the structure before proceeding with any of its plans and couldn’t agree to the terms of the foundation.
“I’m personally disappointed. I understand both sides. It just did not work out,” Land said.
City Attorney Alex Kutanovski said demolition could proceed after a schedule is set up that will include possibly removing any asbestos and receiving a permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
“I’m not sure how long,” Kutanovski said when asked for a timeline.
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City Councilman Robert Clemons, R-2, who also sits on the Board of Public Works, said he too was very disappointed with the outcome since he knows of the historic significance of the church that is located in his district.
“It breaks my heart. I knew it was a long shot,” Clemons said.
The Crown Point City Council at its meeting last month gave final approval to a zoning change that would have allowed Creekside Outdoor Living to proceed with redevelopment plans for the Trinity property at 400 E. North St.
Arnold said his landscaping company had partnered with Dynasty Real Estate & Property Solutions, in hopes of returning the city’s historic Trinity Lutheran Church property into apartments and multi-office rental space.
But first, the existing structure would have to be assessed to determine whether plans could proceed, Arnold said at last month’s City Council meeting.
“It (the building) has been rained on and snowed on and vandalized… Walking through there is scary,” he said.
To assess the structure, a feasibility study would have to be conducted, he said.
The two-story church was founded as part of Trinity Lutheran Church in 1886, and the adjacent school structure was created in 1938. The church is 2,480 square feet, while the connected school is 4,100 square feet, in addition to a parking lot, according to Post-Tribune archives.
In 1958, the structures were transformed into apartments and the hardwood floor was covered in carpet.
On October 20, 2018, a fire caused by a tenant caused significant damage to the building.
Freelance reporter Anna Ortiz contributed.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.