Baptist Tabernacle
318 East Fourth Street
When their new edifice was completed in 1879, the merged First Baptist Church and the Bank Street Baptist Church changed their name to the Baptist Tabernacle Church. Building in the Neoclassical style, the Louisville, Kentucky, contractor Watkins & Co. used New Albany laborers and materials, and New Albany's John Crawford did the brickwork. The building was begun in July 1878, and wasn't occupied until January 4, 1880. The congregation did not rush construction. They built slowly and did not propose to have the work done any faster than they could pay for it.
17 comments:
interesting...
Why am I thinking of the Eleventh Commandment in Antwerp.
A fine example of fiscal responsibility! Considering all we hear is "there's no money for code enforcement" and the city spends $98,000 on a building that they don't even know what they're going to use it for.
Peeeeeete!
If it relieves your agita, I'll offer $99,000 on Monday. This is a brilliant, if unexpected move by the city.
If they do nothing other than to auction the building off, this is a clear win. If they get creative, it will be a gargantuan victory.
I applaud your sentiments, but this is the wrong incident to cite.
I concur with All4word completely. By taking an interventionist approach, the city is making a strong statement. They seized an opportunity to acquire a prominent “white elephant” that has been on and off the market frequently in the past few years.
Stabilize it, restore it and reuse it. It’s the type of project that can spur similar activity. I applaud action.
I was one of the people bidding at the auction. I thought it would make a great drive-thru liquor store. I'm glad I lost because to cover that beast in vinyl was going to cost a pretty penny. Just kidding. I was there to bid out of fear another important old building would be threatened. I really hope the city doesn't just use it to store snowplows and it remains in the condition it's in now. It could be a showpiece, who hasn't imagined those huge window wells restored? And by all means take out the floor that now divides the space and return it to it's glory. Pete - as I said that the auction, I'd rather have a few more potholes than lose another piece of our history. The asphalt mafia here will survive anyway.
I am wondering why this building was not put under protected status prior to the auction so no buyer could destroy its beauty? I believe this structure will be subject to a beurocratic slow-track and private hands could have rehabbed it better and faster. Unless the city government has specific plans for it and the funds to see it through, it was a bad purchase.
Given that downtown churches seem to take the lead in demolishing structures of all ages (sorry John), the imperative was to keep the Baptist Tabernacle from falling into religious hands.
Daniel - The building does have protected status. It is located within the Downtown local historic district, and as such, exterior improvements are subject to the purview of the New Albany Historic Preservation Commission.
So what are the plans for the structure? Maybe they can house the offices of the Economic Developer.
I'd love to see it either rehabbed by the city into government offices/meeting space OR sold to a private developer for $1, subject to plans for an historically-sensitive adaptive reuse. Win win either way.
Roger, just out of curiosity, what other churches are you talking about?
All I can think of is the non-contributing building that St. Marks took down.
Thanks.
Only time will tell if it was a brilliant move. I'm not disagreeing with you, but our city is NOT characterized by restoration or development of downtown.
The are some big IF's as to what the city is going to do with the building. I see private investors doing more downtown everyday. The only thing our city government does is talk. If they only really knew what they were going to do with it. If they only knew where the money to restore it was going to come from.
The city buying this building won't spur anything that's not already occurring. All of the downtown development is being done by private individuals what want a better New Albany. They're taking all the risks and moving forward whether the city gets on board or not.
I personally would like it if the government had their affairs in order and actually ran new albany like a city instead of an extended family. If that was actually happening, I'd be excited.
The proof is in the action, or lack there of. Let's count the days, weeks, months that pass before any work is done on the building.
Please don't misunderstand what i'm saying. I'm glad the building is preserved, for now. If I had known about the auction 1 day earlier I would have secured the funds to purchase it myself. At least then I would know it would be restored and utilized .
I would love to be the first person to say I'm wrong about this, and that the city is actually going to do something completely new and progressive. If the building is occupied in 6 months I'll buy a
round at Rich-o's (on whatever night they have buy one get one free)!
Thanks, Pete. Glad to hear it.
Did you ever think how powerful a syndicate of you, me, and twenty others might be to keep a landmark from the wrecking ball might be?
I credit your statement that you will be happy to be proved wrong. So let's keep the pressure on to make sure the building is given the TLC it needs and the adaptive reuse it deserves.
I, for one, am tired of the "when pigs fly" argument. Let's start an Architectural Conservation Association - cash investment required - to preserve our heritage.
I can't help but applaud the England administration for stepping up and putting this building into conservatorship. If the city can find a municipal use, great. If not, at least its use can be directed to the benefit of the common weal.
"If the building is occupied in 6 months I'll buy a
round at Rich-o's (on whatever night they have buy one get one free)!"
On that night, that'll be that night.
Ceece
Centenary refused all counsel on the home that burned and was capable of being restored, and chose instead the bulldozer.
It's a fine example of how the old aren't always the wise.
Oh, thanks! Here I thought you were going to group all churches together with one anti-religious sentiment!
:-)
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