The former Baptist church attracts tenants of all ages
The residents of 10 East St. in Providence feel safe and protected in their home. They should, after all – it’s a church.
During the late 1980s, a developer had the vision to rescue the former Union Baptist Church, built in 1876, and with the help of an architect, transformed the 14,000-square-foot church into 13 condominium units.
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Gold Associates of Boston purchased the church in 1988 and immediately began work on it, gutting the house of worship down to the studs. The Baptist church, on the National Register of Historic Places, had been abandoned for about 20 years, according to the Providence Preservation Society. Once construction was completed on the condo units, they were sold almost as soon as they went up for sale. Since tenants moved in during the late 1990s, few have moved out. Only two units have been sold since, one in April 2001 and one in March 2002.
A loft unit recently went on the market after its owner decided to sell it now that his children were no longer using it, according to Heidi Farmer Piccerelli, a sales associate for Coleman Realtors. The 1,365-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2.5 bathroom unit was listed at $389,900. The condo features a lofted bedroom with a rose window overlooking the city, as well as skylights in the living area.
According to figures from Coleman, the units range in size from 790-1,730 square feet. Units sold during the late 1990s sold in a price range of $75,500 (for the smallest) to $170,000 in 1999. Prices have doubled since then.
A 1,600-square-foot unit purchased in 1999 spent 111 days on the market, but was listed at $235,000-$219,000 and sold for $215,000. Another unit, 1,600 square feet, purchased in 2001, spent 30 days on the market and had a list price of $329,000. A third unit that was purchased in 2002, 1,200 square feet, spent only seven days on the market and sold for its asking price of $289,000.
Most residents stay permanently, said Piccerelli, and those who leave have a tough time selling, and with good reason. “Where can you sit and look out a rose window and be in a church at the same time?”
The novelty of living in a former church hasn’t been lost on the residents of 10 East St.
“We feel safe here,” said Anne McDonald, a retired English teacher, who’s teaching classes at LaSalle Academy. “Although we have big windows, we don’t feel vulnerable.”
McDonald and her husband Donald McDonald moved here in 1997 while renovations were still being done. The couple said they walked by the church more than once while it was being gutted and the project piqued their interest.
“They bought it so cheaply that it was criminal that no one had purchased it before” to rejuvenate it, Anne McDonald said. “There are so few brick churches in Rhode Island that you can see doing something with,” once they are no longer in service.
Anne and Donald McDonald, a retired attorney and president of the East Street Condominium Association, said they were attracted to the church’s history and architecture, as well as to the new and old elements that can be seen in each of the units. Their condo has stained glass windows, wood floors, wainscoting and large columns and other details they suspect were part of the original structure.
When the McDonalds purchased their condo, the idea of living in a church was a bit of a hard sell for some. The couple purchased the unit for $100,000, despite a listing price of $179,000-$139,900. The unit was on the market for more than two years. Piccerelli said she wouldn’t be surprised if the McDonalds’ unit is worth $500,000 now.
“We liked the way it looked,” Anne McDonald said. “It’s beautiful and we knew there’d be an appreciation in value. We liked the people we met when we got here.”
The McDonalds said their home and neighbors are unlike any others they’ve encountered while living at other upscale units such as the Corliss Building, Centerplace Apartments and The Regency. To them, their church is a mini-community, and their neighbors like extended family.
A neighbor was planning to have a party and asked the couple if they would board one of her guests in their spare bedroom for the weekend. The residents have Christmas and other holiday parties, get-togethers and barbecues. Every resident is a member or serves on the board of the condo association. There are people of all ages living in the old church: a young married couple with a baby, single adults, senior citizens and one or two college students.
“Our friends think of it as a dorm-like setting,” Anne McDonald said. “It’s not like a city neighborhood. It’s very democratic.”
Piccerelli said there is a buyer interested in the loft unit for sale, and said the sale won’t be closed until March 31. Although she wouldn’t disclose how much the condo sold for, she did say it wasn’t higher than the asking price. In a high-priced and competitive market, Piccerelli said many potential buyers are concerned with the drawbacks of purchasing a unit instead of a home.
“A lot of people are concerned with the high prices of condos, but it’s a different type of living where you can live in a church,” she said. The McDonalds said they feel the same way.
“I can’t think of a place I’d rather live in,” Anne McDonald said. And as
for any feelings of religious obligation, Donald McDonald said, “We’re not superstitious.”
To the McDonalds, this is their home, their little slice of homeowner’s heaven.
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