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140-Year-Old Church Back On Market After Neighbors Reject Condo Deal

By Mina Bloom | July 22, 2016 3:14pm | Updated on July 25, 2016 8:48am
 The Hermon Baptist Church, 1754 N. Clark St., is up for sale again.
The Hermon Baptist Church, 1754 N. Clark St., is up for sale again.
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LINCOLN PARK — A 140-year-old church is back on the market for $4.1 million after a developer's plan to build a condo tower on the site was rejected by neighbors.

This time around, the folks behind Hermon Baptist Church, 1754 N. Clark St., will only be accepting offers from buyers who want to build within the current zoning parameters, according to the Rev. Keith Edwards, pastor of the church. Current zoning allows for a four-story building.

Named after a mountain outside Jerusalem, Hermon Baptist was founded by 13 African-American domestic workers who cooked and cleaned for Chicago's Gold Coast residents. Tired of traveling to the South Side for church services, they launched Hermon.

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.

Edwards said after the latest setback, "From here on out, for anyone who wants to purchase, there will be no zoning contingencies.

"It ties up the property and causes us to incur legal fees, and it's a waste of time. Why even bother?" he asked.

Zev Salomon with Ranquist Development Group wanted to build a condo tower in place of the historic church, but the board at the Kennelly Square condo building next door rejected the plans, which killed the deal, according to Edwards.

The board rejected the plans mainly because their views would be obstructed by the tower, according to Edwards. Neither the board nor Salomon responded to requests for comment.

A neighboring condo board's approval usually is not necessary for a project to move forward, but it was in this case because the neighboring building owns the air rights that Salomon needed to build, according to Scott Siegel, the property's listing agent.

Edwards described Salomon's plans as "beautiful," saying he could've "used more support from the community." 

While he sympathizes with the homeowners, he said, he added that views aren't historically protected in the city.

"I have to understand that they did purchase those condos with the intent of having that view, but nobody has the rights to keep people from building," the minister said. "People are building up all the time."

Siegel said he believes the church is being "held hostage" by its neighbor.

Now that buyers have to stay within the zoning parameters, Siegel said he expects the church will see at least a seven-figure loss in value in the deal.

But Edwards said he and his congregation are undeterred. They're confident they'll sell the property to the right buyer soon.

"We're a faith-based organization, and we put it in God's hands. Apparently, it wasn't the time," Edwards said. "There's no urgency."

The main reason Edwards gave for selling the property is lack of parking.

"We can't grow, and people are reluctant to come because they're not sure they're going to get a parking space," he said.

The 5,500-square-foot church is now listed for $4.1 million — up from $3.25 million in December. A few years ago, it was listed for $6.5 million. 

 

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