The historic St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church in downtown Peterborough has been sold.
The 159-year-old church on Murray Street was facing soaring costs for repairs, which prompted the church to put the building up for sale in January with a price tag of $900,000.
Church officials said Monday that the building has been sold to local developer Clear Global Capital Ltd. The deal is slated to close on Aug. 31. Terms of the deal were not released.
However, parishioners and the Brock Mission men’s shelter, which is using a part of the building, won’t be leaving the church anytime soon. Brock Mission’s shelter was demolished and is being rebuilt.
The property has more than 23,400 square feet of floor space between two connected buildings.
In March 2017, the 200-member congregation was forced to move into the church hall for services as the main building was deemed unsafe.
“The congregation is not moving out immediately, however,” said Janet Halstead, the church’s Clerk of Session.
“The buyer has given us every indication that it will retain existing tenants (including us) for at least six months after the end of August, if not longer, and that Brock Mission can stay in the former Christian Education Wing until its new building is ready.”
Four years ago, the church hired a consultant to conduct a structural review of the building. Repair costs were estimated at $2 million with $100,000 in annual maintenance.
Pastor Jonathan Baird says St. Paul’s intends to lease a new space in the downtown in the coming months.
“St. Paul’s is ready for its next phase,” he said. “We have examined our viability as a congregation. We want to continue in Peterborough for another 185 years and we believe the property has a significant role to play in the re-development of the city’s downtown.”
He noted that the congregation wishes to keep its focus on mission and outreach, including its Arabic Ministry and outreach with many Syrian families, and a small food bank.
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