Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church has survived Charley, economic change

Owens Community, three miles southwest of Arcadia, was named for Owen Huggins Dishong, DeSoto Countys first sheriff and one of Mt. Ephraims charter members. He gave three acres of land for the construction of the church and the cemetery, where he is now buried.

The church was established in 1884the same year the Florida Baptist Witness published its first edition.

Circuit-rider Alderman Wilson conducted the first meeting on August 9, 1884, when charter members organized and selected a name for the church. The church first met in a log building called the Hayman School, and J.H. Hayman served as the first pastor. The churchs first building, constructed in 1888, was located across the street from the present sanctuary.

Kerosene lamps suspended from the ceiling replaced candles that were used for lighting in 1888. Before electricity came to the community, a gasoline-powered generator was installed that sometimes left the preacher preaching in twilight to total darkness, according to a church history written in 2010 by former member Bob Tuttle.

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Mt. Ephraim Baptist Church has survived Charley, economic change

Published: Tuesday, June 17, 2014 at 6:30 a.m. Last Modified: Monday, June 16, 2014 at 5:25 p.m.

Standing more than 100 feet high, the steeple at First Presbyterian Church has towered over Ocala's historic district since the late 1920s. But, over the years, the towering symbol of faith has been shot at and damaged by termites and weather systems, including a violent storm that swept through in 2012.

Through a campaign called SOS (Save Our Steeple), the church building and grounds committee hopes to raise $400,000 for repairs. For now, a protective tarp has been stretched across the inside base of the steeple, keeping rainwater out of the sanctuary.

The Rev. Raymond Guterman, who celebrated 10 years of service at the church on June 1, has concerns that more damage will occur if something isn't done soon.

"We got a lot of water on the third floor of our sanctuary," Guterman said. "We had to close down the balcony for about two months to make sure it was OK. We had to get the water out and make considerable repairs. And we had to shut down our bell. We had a funeral a few weeks ago. Darren Bess (associate pastor) went up to turn on the sound system and saw where some plaster had fallen. We also had water leaking down the back wall."

The steeple, which is equipped with nighttime lighting, has served as "a beacon of light" to the surrounding community, Guterman said.

"I think that steeple is probably one of the highest places in the city of Ocala," he said. "We have a light that comes on every night. It is symbolic of Christ shining in the darkness. John 1:4-5 says, In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.' The Bible speaks to dark places in the world where people have challenges. All of us have dark seasons that all of our families go through. In spite of all this, it does not affect the light. It still goes on."

The church membership is about 900, Guterman said. In 2007, the congregation raised $300,000 for a new heating and air conditioning system, and for carpeting and a bus. In 2012, it raised $250,000 to renovate the fellowship hall.

Kent Adams, a church elder, is heading up the current campaign.

"It really is a calling," he said. "I didn't realize it at first, but then I started thinking, both my children were baptized there."

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First Presbyterian Church steeple needs repair

The family-owned church that stands in the way of the new soccer stadium has hired a law firm specializing in property rights to fight the city's attempt to take its land. (Video by FOX35)

The tiny family-owned church that stands in the way of Orlando's Major League Soccer stadium has hired a Jacksonville law firm specializing in property rights to fight the city's attempt to take its land.

City Hall filed an eminent domain action in court in 2013, after a year of failed negotiations to buy Faith Deliverance Temple. But news releases from the church's new attorney make it clear the city's attempt to take the property won't go unchallenged.

Attorney Andrew Prince Brigham said the city's action violates Florida's Constitution and state law because the land wouldn't be used for a legitimate public purpose.

"The City's proposed taking is not for a public purpose," Brigham said in a news release. "The City is simply a conduit for eminent domain to take from one private entity, a church, and transfer the use of the property to another private entity, a soccer franchise."

The announcement comes a day after Orlando City Soccer Club executives joined Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs to unveil details and renderings of the $110-million stadium. It's supposed to be built on two square blocks along West Church Street, but the church's property sits smack in the middle.

The city initially offered $1.5 million for the property more than twice the appraised value but church leaders said that wouldn't be enough to rebuild elsewhere, and countered with a selling price of $35 million. The city eventually raised its offer as high as $4 million and the church dropped its price as low $15 million, but the parties never came any closer to a deal.

The city's failure to acquire the property already has delayed the stadium's construction. The team initially planned to begin playing in the new facility during the 2015 MLS season, but uncertainty about the land prompted the decision to play the entire 2015 season in the Citrus Bowl.

The current plan is for the Orlando City Lions to start playing in the new stadium with its home-opener of the 2016 season, in March of that year. It's expected to take 14 to 15 months to build the stadium, so construction, ideally, would have to start before January 2015, Lions Chief Operating Officer Brett Lashbrook said.

Orlando officials say the soccer stadium would serve a public purpose.

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Church to fight city's move to take land for stadium

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Alexander Dimolaidis is moving on up, going somewhere he thought hed never go: to the 21st floor.

Until now, he associated high-rise living with the ugly behemoths on the fringes of Frankfurt reserved for subsidized housing. Last month, he bought a one-bedroom unit in the 40-story Henninger Turm.

I like the freedom of being up so high, the open views, said Dimolaidis, 43, an advertising executive who fell for the 140-meter (460-foot) skyscraper, which is due to be completed in 2016. It features concierge service, mosaic floors and unobstructed views of the Taunus hills. Its very different from the ghettoized life in the high-rises on the outskirts.

From London to Warsaw, high-rises are losing their reputation as grim necessities on the Old Continent. Europeans, like buyers in New York, Hong Kong and Dubai, are increasingly drawn to their amenities and convenience. Developers, seeking to maximize profit in densely built cities, are feeding the demand with a record pace of construction.

Henninger Turm is one of at least seven upscale residential towers planned in Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank and the euro areas financial capital. There is now just one such property: the 21-story Skylight, built by Deutsche Telekom AG (DTE) more than a decade ago.

Henninger Turm is one of at least seven upscale residential towers planned in Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank and the euro area's financial capital, where bird's-eye views are usually reserved for bankers' offices and welfare recipients living in subsidized projects. Close

Henninger Turm is one of at least seven upscale residential towers planned in... Read More

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Henninger Turm is one of at least seven upscale residential towers planned in Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank and the euro area's financial capital, where bird's-eye views are usually reserved for bankers' offices and welfare recipients living in subsidized projects.

At least 135 residential high-rises -- defined by Los Angeles-based property broker CBRE Group Inc. (CBG) as buildings taller than 20 stories -- are planned for London. They include One Blackfriars and Newfoundland. In Warsaw, Daniel Libeskind designed the Zlota 44. In Paris, Norman Foster is working on Hermitage Plaza. In Berlin, Frank Gehry won a competition to design a 39-story twisting tower that will be Germanys tallest apartment block.

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Luxury Goes Vertical in Frankfurt as High-Rises Spread