The Baptist Tabernacle (316 E. 4th) has new windows, and renovation work continues.

August 2016.

Circa 2008.

2008 - 2012 (photo published in 2012 N and T).

Restoration begins in 2012.

In an effort to make a long story short, the former Baptist Tabernacle was featured as part of a 2005 effort to interest potential investors in downtown properties (among them Shrader Stables, now The Exchange). My photography is primitive, but the NAC posting has interior views.

(October 27, 2005)

Recapping the Historic District Building Tour and Field Day, Part 4: Baptist Tabernacle.

Two and a half years later, Team England purchased the building at a sheriff's sale.

(January, 2008)

City acquires historic Baptist Tabernacle building on East Fourth.

Subsequently, various proposals were minted toward a goal of adaptive reuse (the relocation of City Hall and a home for the Vintage Fire Museum among them), but then Mother Nature intervened, and in September, 2008, hurricane force winds blew off the roof, destroying the ceiling paintings in the process.

The final three years of England III were devoted to politicking, insurance claims and spit-balling, and the Tabernacle sat unattended. It was sold to Keystone Restoration in 2011 for $1, as explained in the newspaper. Work then began to roof and stabilize the structure and make it fit for resale.

John Waggoner of HMS Global Maritime, who also owns the White House Center and Hornblower Marine (115 E. Market), bought the Baptist Tabernacle building. It currently is being readied to house a division of his company, which will bring around 25 jobs to downtown New Albany.

Tabernacle Baptist Church (Neoclassical; 1879)
316 East 4th Street
New Albany, IN 47150

This congregation was formed by the merger of First Baptist Church and Bank Street Baptist Church. Dedicated on January 4, 1880, the sanctuary here could seat over 1000 people and was said to have the finest frescoes on the walls and ceilings of any in New Albany. The congregation remained here until it purchased the former home of Third Presbyterian Church in 1920 and changed its name back to First Baptist Church. That congregation still remains active today at the corner of East Ninth and Spring streets.

The building housed a number of commercial uses after ceasing to be a church. When the remnants of Hurricane Ike blew through New Albany in September 2008, the building - which was vacant at the time - lost its roof. A new roof has been reinstalled by the current owner, and rehabilitation work is ongoing.

What they're saying: Roseberry, Knable, Staten and Rutherford.

As the weeks go past in route to May's primary election, I'm providing periodic candidate statements of substance, mostly unretouched, as lifted from social media and news reports. Familiar gems such as "yard signs win elections, not people" and "donate to my campaign first, and maybe I'll have something of merit to say much, much later" will be omitted. That's because it is my aim to determine whether our declared candidates have anything to say at all, and I'll quote all candidates, from any and all parties, whether or not they're in a contested race. Just promising change and new ideas without divulging them won't cut the mustard, aspirants.

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Hannegan Roseberry (D, at-large council) and Al Knable (R, at-large council) continue to buck the close-lipped traditions of their respective parties by speaking and writing openly about the real world. Hannegan leads off with two postings at her Facebook campaign page.

First, on the topic of standing up for what you believe:

I feel we have a real problem on our hands when our elected officials refuse to give simple yes or no answers to questions. When you are an elected official and you refuse to give your thoughts on a subject, then I politely suggest that you hang up your hat. Whether it be something as obvious as Two-Way Streets in a city like New Albany, or something as colossal (and sinister) as RFRA, you have an obligation to be transparent on your stance. You were elected by the people (granted, a very small amount of the people of Indiana, see my earlier posts about voter apathy in the Hoosier state), and you owe them transparency. This doesn't mean that your opinions can, or even should, please everyone at all times. I think that is another tricky corner that too many elected officials get themselves into, trying to please everyone at all times by committing to nothing and towing every line "just in case." Be bold, be educated, and stand strongly for the things you believe in.

And, on women in local politics.

Wonder Women - Where Are You?

Where are the women candidates? In our upcoming city primary elections, there are a mere five female candidates out of 28, and only two of those women are challengers (myself included). Last time I checked, one out of every two human beings are female - why are we not stepping up to the plate to lead at that same level?

Al enthusiastically riffs on an idea previously discussed by Hannegan.

I won't pretend that encouraging a civic theater in New Albany is my idea. Hannegan Roseberry discussed it on her page a few days ago. Randy Smith proposed the Baptist Tabernacle site as a possible location with me several weeks ago. The thought's been kicked around for years. In fact, I remember Jim Anderson's wife, Mary, advocating this 40 years ago. But heck, I can recognize a great idea!

A civic theater would be yet one more draw to downtown and everyone knows when the show lets out people love to eat or hit their favorite night spot.

The old Tabernacle building might prove multi-functional. When not in use for shows it could easily serve as a site for other public forums.

As NA doesn't have unlimited funds, and as there are numerous pressing needs, I see this as a project facilitated rather than fully funded by the city. Even so, this is definitely a cause I'd support, allowing others (Mrs. R?) to champion.

(OMG -- candidates from opposite parties, agreeing on social media as to the virtues of an idea? I don't know about Al's arbiters, but Hannegan can expect an unannounced visit from Warren "I used to be mayor, pal" Nash's "purity of absolute silence" department)

Over in the 6th district, Democratic council hopeful Dr. Cliff Staten sensibly asks, "What will New Albany do to attract and keep younger generations here?"

Working Today to Build Tomorrow

Elections are about the future. Think about New Albany 5 years from now… now picture it 10 years from now… how about 20? How do you picture New Albany in the future? How would you like to picture New Albany in the future?

To me, the future starts with our young people; it starts with our children and our grandchildren. How do we picture their New Albany?

Meanwhile in the 5th district, Tonye Rutherford is back with a Facebook campaign page. He has an opponent in the Republican primary (Danita Burks), as does the incumbent Diane Benedetti (Dustin Collins).

Tonye Rutherford for New Albany City Council District 5

This is Tonye Rutherford, I am running for City Council in the 5th District. After narrowly losing by 21 votes in 2011, I have been busy ... I have since been appointed to the New Albany Floyd County Library board where I serve as the president, I was appointed to the New Albany Human Rights Commission and serve as the Chairman, I was appointed to the Floyd County Corrections board and elected to the Emmaus board.

Have you spotted substance omitted here? Let me know. The primary's only five weeks away.

Keystone takes on the Tabernacle.

Let's end the day with good news. Congratulations and good luck to Keystone Restorations in taking on the Baptist Tabernacle. No longer will it serve as unfortunate poster "child" for the Open Air Museum, as Keystone's intent is to put on a roof, install windows and doors, and repair the exterior masonry. As Greg Sekula put it in an e-mail today, "the goal is to stabilize."

On someone else’s dime: Like Shrader Stables, private group to rehab Baptist Tabernacle, by Daniel Suddeath (Tribune).

“It will eliminate one of our last major eyesores in the downtown area,” (Mayor England) said.

Open thread: Mayor says sell Baptist Tabernacle and Shrader Stable.

New Albany Mayor Doug England wants to sell church, stable sites, by Daniel Suddeath (The Tribune).

Mayor Doug England is asking the New Albany Redevelopment Commission to make the Baptist Tabernacle building available to private ownership interests today...

England is also requesting the historic Shrader Stable property — finished in 1875 — along Main Street be sold. The administration would like to develop stringent guidelines as to who can purchase the Tabernacle and Stable sites.

What's the best outcome? Tightly controlled development that seeks to protect the historic integrity and prime locations of the sites or undefined rehab and fixing the Tabernacle roof as Dan Coffey suggests? Or should the City sell them now at all?

Baptist Tabernacle? Think big.

The city-owned Baptist Tabernacle had its roof blown off by last September's hurricane-force winds, and now local officials are trying to decide what to do next. For the story on the insurance settlement ...

New Albany ponders options for building; 1 report in hand, another awaited, by Grace Schneider (formerly One Great Newspaper).

I'd like to see the historic buildings already on that block preserved, reused, and woven together with a contemporary architectural design, the result being a governmental campus of the sort mentioned in the article.

Yes, it will cost money. It also would link the past and the present and address future needs for a government that probably will endure in spite of Grover Norquist's best anarchistic efforts.

Everything costs money. It's time to concede this, move forward and get something done.

Who is the imposter wearing Cappuccino's empty suit? Quick, someone ring the irony police.

When 1st district councilman Dan “Wizard of Westside” Coffey first minted his Magna Farta, otherwise known as one of two resolutions designed to thwart the aims of developers capable of doing for his neighborhood the very sorts of things that Coffey has been congenitally unable to achieve throughout endless years of public "service", word on the street was that the England administration simply didn’t care one way or the other.

The second of Coffey’s resolutions passed muster earlier this week, and it was obvious to all present save a handful of his constituents that the junkyard dog had indeed been tossed his bone, albeit a rubberized version. In the end, Coffey’s transparently contrived appeal to change zoning designations could do almost nothing to impede progress, but it might fool a few gullible voters and keep the ball in Coffey’s court long enough that he might survive to nonsensically grandstand another day.

Even radical atheist outsiders like me (raised up the hill in far-off Georgetown) know that politics embraces the art of compromise, so I suppose the Tribune’s revelation yesterday comes as little of a surprise.

Pair eyes new home for New Albany's city hall; Gonder, Coffey believe Baptist Tabernacle would be perfect fit, by Daniel Suddeath (News and Tribune).

A new spot for city hall is what some New Albany officials are suggesting for the Baptist Tabernacle, a recent purchase by the city, located at 318 E. Fourth St.

Citing the need for more space and a growing rental fee the city is paying the county for offices on the third floor of the City/County Building, City Councilman Dan Coffey believes it’s time for a change …

… When renovated, the Baptist Tabernacle would offer two floors for use, with Councilman John Gonder believing the second story would be the best for meeting rooms.

Speaking of stopped pre-digital clocks, what do you think about a councilman who vows to say aloud those things he’d never dare put in a blog?

I think it means that Steve Price doesn’t know how to operate a computer.

You may disagree, but that’s okay. After all, we’re all entitled to our opinion, right?

(Photo credit: I stole it off the Internet)