Church on historic register, could complicate demolition

CEDAR RAPIDS - Demolishing a Cedar Rapids church to make space for parking for a new city library won't be as easy as some may think.

The board of the Cedar Rapids Public Library this week announced that the block housing The Gazette and KCRG-TV9 is its preferred location for a new library. It also suggested the city could buy Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist, at 600 Third Ave. SE, and use that site for additional surface parking.

Peoples Church has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1978, which creates obstacles to altering or demolishing a building.

“The federal government has acknowledged the property as being significant and has offered incentives, tax credits, to keep it historic,” said Maura Pilcher, chairwoman of the Cedar Rapids Historic Preservation Commission. “Since they've offered financial incentives to keep something historic, to offer money to tear that down doesn't go over very well.”

Pilcher said it is possible to tear down a building that is listed on the National Register, but it means more steps and paperwork.

Meanwhile, the congregation at Peoples Church would welcome a purchase offer from the city, said the Rev. Tom Capo, pastor at the church, which sits on the corner of Third Avenue and Sixth Street SE.

Capo said the church, built in 1875, has been for sale for several months. It's listed for $795,000.

Capo said board President Mary Huneke sent an e-mail Friday afternoon indicating that she had talked with city and library officials on Wednesday and discussed options for buying the church. He said Huneke's e-mail said the city would pay for demolition but asked if the congregation would handle those plans.

“It's an old building, and there are things we will want to keep,” Capo said. “We want to save our stained glass, and we want to be very green about the demolition.”

If the city would make an offer on the building, Capo said, the offer would have to go to a vote of the full congregation before it could be signed.