Brookline church committee assesses renovation costs

BROOKLINE -- The Baptist Church in this small West River town of 457 people is nearly 180 years old -- and it's showing its age.

"Over the years, rain has gotten in at the base of the steeple," said Stanley Noga, chairman of the Historic Brookline Church Preservation Committee. "There's no flashing on the south side and rain has dripped down on a massive beam and it has rotted the interior of the beam such that is has slipped down and back."

And that's just one of the seven problems identified by Jan Lewandoski, a historic preservationist who is an expert at evaluating and rehabilitating old churches. Lewandoski also identified problems with the church's steeple and its balustrade, rafters in the attic, mold in the basement, a sloping floor due to sunken supports in the church vestibule, a leaking roof, and a pair of chimneys and the brick walls that need repainting.

"But its condition is better than most Lewandoski has looked at," said Noga, adding he was a little surprised by the restoration cost estimate -- $125,000 to $200,000.

"If we're looking to thank anyone in light of the relatively small amount of money for restoration, it would be the Ladies Benevolent Society and the Historic Brookline Church Initiative," said Noga. "They did a wonderful job according to Jan.

But Noga admitted the estimate presented by Lewandoski doesn't include some essentials, such as a heating and cooling system and new windows, which could add quite a bit to the renovation costs.

"There are 11 windows in the brick portion of the church. We are having a discussion over how many, when and should we do it now," he said. And at $800 to $1,600 each, it's a decision that won't be easy to make.

A question for the new committee is if the work can be done in stages, said Noga, and if so, what should be done first. To repair the steeple and the roof comes in around $20,000, or so, he said.

David Allbee, a life-long resident of Brookline, told the Reformer in February that even though the tradition of the church was strong up through the beginning of the 20th century, by the 1930s, the town was no longer able to support a ministry there. Even though there were attempts to resurrect a ministry in the church, he said, none of them were successful.

In 1945, the building was turned over to the Ladies Benevolent Group, which operated the Historic Brookline Church Preservation Initiative. Every year the group organized fundraisers. Most notably, the group raffled off a quilt each year. Over the years, the quilt raffle has brought in between $1,200 to $2,200.

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Brookline church committee assesses renovation costs