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Historic Tacoma Churches Need More Than Faith

Posted by: David Gest
Thanks to: morgan alexander
18 April 2006 - 6:00am

As congregations dwindle and development pressures increase, more "grand old churches" are contemplating selling their property to make way for hospitals, condos, and apartments.

"'We're kind of running on empty,' said the Rev. John Alvord. Unless the 99-year-old church grows or leases more space, it could reach a crossroads in the next three or four years, Alvord said.

One option stands out: selling the church to a developer who would almost surely tear it down.

Two blocks away, this fate already is playing out at First United Methodist Church. Today its members celebrate Easter for the last time in the 89-year-old sanctuary, sold to make way for a hospital expansion.

First Methodist's demise has awakened churchgoers, pastors, preservationists and neighborhood activists to the threats facing many of Tacoma's oldest and grandest churches, including several in the Hilltop area."

Full Story: Development threatens Tacoma's grand old churches
Source: Tacoma News Tribune, April 17, 2006
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