LINCOLN PARK — The 140-year-old Hermon Baptist Church, offering "unobstructed" park and lake views, can be yours for $3.25 million — down from $6.5 million just a few years ago.
The 5,500-square-foot church at 1754 N. Clark St. went back on the market about a week ago. According to Jennings Realty, the company listing the property, the church has had only four owners since the Great Chicago Fire in 1871.
The property's original owner, Robert Edson, sold the land to the Chicago Society of the New Jerusalem in 1875. It wasn't until 1904 that the group sold the property to the folks behind Hermon Baptist Church, which has remained there ever since.
According to the church's website, Hermon Baptist, named after a mountain outside Jerusalem, was founded by 13 African-American domestic workers who cooked and cleaned for Chicago's Gold Coast residents. Tiring of traveling to the South Side for church services, they launched Hermon.
Today, the church is on a busy stretch of Clark Street a few doors down from Hotel Lincoln, 1816 N. Clark St., near luxury towers. Lincoln Park is directly across the street.
Due to the building's age and maintenance issues, the church needs a full gut-rehab, according to the listing agent. Right now, it offers a second-floor sanctuary with a capacity for 300 people, pastor's offices, a full basement with a 9-foot ceilings, a large meeting room and cafeteria, a mechanical room and women's and men's lounges.
New owners can either repurpose or reuse the church. The site is zoned for up to four stories of multiunit housing, which means repurposing the building would require a zoning change approved by Ald. Michele Smith (43rd). If a developer goes that route, the listing agent envisions a boutique-style condo building or luxury apartment tower.
The other options are to convert the church into a home or build a new "lakefront mansion" in its place, the listing says.
According to the listing agent, the church wants to move to a new facility where it can grow its membership and offer easier parking to churchgoers.
Check out photos of the property below:
The sanctuary, which holds 300 people. [All photos Courtesy/Jennings Realty]
Another view of the sanctuary.
The full basement.
For more neighborhood news, listen to DNAinfo Radio here:
