The original section of the First Congregational Church
building is the oldest standing church building in the city.
Leaders of Baldwin-Wallace College and the First Congregational United Church of Christ of Berea have reached an agreement that would permit the College to acquire and renovate Church properties at 33 Seminary St. and 17 and 19 Church St. to secure the church’s future and provide a much-needed expansion of its Conservatory of Music.
The agreement--which includes an undisclosed amount of cash, the transfer of two College-owned lots on Front St. and temporary use of B-W facilities for Church services during a possible construction period--is contingent upon property inspections as well as both the College and the Church receiving any required city zoning and planning approvals.
In a jointly issued announcement, B-W President Richard Durst and Church President Dennis Stocker acknowledged the open and candid process that had helped facilitate the discussion between the Church and College and the decision by the congregation to approve the sale.
“We are convinced that this decision will have significant benefits for the First Congregational Church and its members, for our Conservatory of Music, and for the community of Berea,” said Durst. “I believe we all are eager to move ahead with new construction and renovation that will enhance the program offerings of two of Berea’s longest-standing citizens.”
The Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory of Music currently enrolls about 300 full-time students and educates thousands of area residents through its outreach programs headquartered in Kulas and Merner-Pfeiffer halls. Expanding and renovating those facilities is a major component for Transforming Lives: The Campaign for Baldwin-Wallace College, which currently is underway.
Berea’s First Congregational United Church of Christ was founded by abolitionists in 1855. Construction of the church’s historic facility at 33 Seminary St. (immediately south of the Conservatory’s Merner-Pfeiffer Hall) was begun about 1870, making it the oldest standing church building in the city. While part of the United Church of Christ (which is headquartered in Cleveland), the local church is autonomous and is ruled democratically by its membership.
The First Congregational Church is well-known in the community for its day care program and Church Street Ministries, an ecumenical outreach program founded in 1994 to meet human needs across the county through counseling and guidance for refugees and the homeless and intervention for at-risk and chemically dependent youth.
“The Church will continue to search for new and expanded ways to carry out its ministries to Berea and metropolitan Cleveland,” Stocker said.
Since 2005, B-W has rented a portion of the Church space for its music therapy and music outreach programs. College officials had approached First Church members in early 2007 about possibly selling of the entire facility. College leaders addressed the congregation last fall and members of the congregation voted Dec. 9, 2007 to authorize their leaders to negotiate terms of a possible sale to B-W. The 225-member congregation voted June 29 to pursue and finalize, if appropriate, the sale of the church facility. The letter of agreement was signed this week.
As part of the agreement:
- B-W would acquire and renovate church properties at 33 Seminary St. and 17 and 19 Church St.
- The College would transfer lots at 311 and 315 Front St. as the possible location for a new church building. The College and the Church will work jointly to develop the site and address parking and drainage issues.
- The Church will continue in its present location at least until at least June 2009.
- For at least three years, the Church will have access to B-W’s Lindsay-Crossman Chapel for Sunday and holiday services as well as special occasions.
- A 40-year deed restriction will require that the church exterior be maintained in its historical condition and that it be used solely for College and higher education purposes.
275 Eastland Rd.