Trinity Lutheran Church in Crown Point was founded in 1886. Joseph S. Pete
A landscaping company got the green light Wednesday from the city to try to save Crown Point's oldest standing church building from demolition.
The Crown Point Board of Public Works and Safety voted unanimously to allow Creekside Outdoor Living to renovate and restore the American Gothic-style Trinity Lutheran Church at 400 E. North St. The landscaping company is now located on 111th Court by Interstate 65 and is looking to move its administrative and clerical offices to the historic church and school.
"I believe after 18 months this will be an absolute showpiece in the town," Creekside Vice President Robert Pelino said.
Crown Point had been looking to demolish the church building, which was established in 1886 and is believed to be one of the oldest left standing in Lake County.
It had been repurposed as the Greer Apartments but has been vacant since a fire swept through after a resident fell asleep in the hallway with a lit cigarette in 2018.
Board of Public Works members said it would be less costly to let the landscaping company renovate it than to pay for a demolition.
"It's been through a lot of trials and tribulations and stirs a lot of emotions," board member Robert Clemons said. "This is the best thing I've seen happen with the whole situation. I'm sitting here on the board with my third mayor and it's the same situation. If you fulfill everything you have promised, this is a good situation. If you do what you say you're going to do, people are going to appreciate that."
Pelino said Creekside plans to move its headquarters there even if an engineer determines the building cannot be salvaged.
"We 1 million percent plan to rehabilitate it," Pelino said. "But if structural engineering comes back and says we're unable to do anything and have to demolish it, we'll come back to you with a new plan to build something new that's similar in scope and that's office and residential. We hope that's not the case."
Pelino said the company planned to bring in contractors to do the renovation and hoped to complete the work in 18 months.
Crown Point Mayor Pete Land said he met several times with the company and was pleased with its plans for saving the church, which started in Crown Point in 1861 and was attended by some of the city's founding fathers. They built the 1886 church out of clay-fired brick and native stone.
The 1886 Foundation has worked for years to save the Gothic church building, which needs extensive repairs that include tuckpointing, plumbing and a new roof.
Crown Point looked at demolition after inspectors found it was not up to code and cited it for code enforcement violations. Neighbors had become concerned about its increasingly dilapidated state.
Board of Works members said the timeframe should address neighbors' concerns, especially since they would soon be able to see work taking place to restore the church.
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