Historic church preservation moves ahead

A special ceremony at 2 p.m. Oct. 10 will mark the beginning of the relocation of the historic Washington Avenue Baptist Church, 729 N. Washington Ave. An announcement from Drury University, which became the owner of the church building Oct. 4, said representatives from the school and members of the church's congregation will participate in the event.

According to Drury President John E. Moore Jr., the school will move the church to a site near the Shewmaker Communication Center on the Drury campus, and a new science center for Drury will be built on the church's present site.

"We're going to reconstruct it very precisely, and all of the materials will be moved," Moore said.

He said the estimated cost of the dismantling and reconstruction of the church is about $650,000, and the school is welcoming any help with that cost that the community offers.

"We have written and visited with a lot of people about contributing toward that project, and we're still in the process of raising those funds, but we're ready to move ahead on it, and we intend to, whatever comes," Moore said. "Drury has already made its commitment to take care of this and do it right," he said.

Moore said once the church's relocation is complete, it will be owned and maintained by the school. He said the church will be used as a diversity center that can be utilized by the community in a variety of ways.

"Just as an example, if there were groups that wanted to meet, we'll schedule the facility. It will probably hold 140 to 150 people in the old sanctuary. On Martin Luther King Day, there's typically a march that's run through town, and it might start at or include this site, the Historic Washington Avenue Baptist Church," Moore said.

"If there were programs or speakers, this might be a very appropriate place to host them," he added.

Moore said historic pictures from the Washington Avenue Baptist Church congregation will be on display in the diversity center, as well as historic photos from Springfield's black community. Drury will also use the church for educational purposes.

"I can see a class in American history meeting there, or a class in art history, or some other course that would lend itself to that kind of setting," he said.

The congregation of Washington Avenue Baptist Church held its last service in the historic building Oct. 1. The Rev. Maurice Tate Sr., pastor of Washington Avenue Baptist Church, which will relocate to a larger building, said Drury taking responsibility for the church is a good thing for everyone involved.

"The fact that it's going to be used as a diversity center I think is powerful ... my feelings, as much as I love Springfield ... I think we still have some concerns that we cannot fail to address, and that would be looking at the strength of diversity in the workplace, whether we're talking business, industry, education, in the church and the entire Springfield community," Tate said.

"When we talk about diversity, we're talking about everybody," Tate added.

Tate said the congregation of Washington Avenue Baptist Church plans to hold an annual service in the historic building.

Approximately $200,000 has been raised to cover the relocation of the historic Washington Avenue Baptist Church, and Bales Construction Co. will oversee the dismantling and reconstruction of the building, Moore said. Businesses, organizations and individuals who would like to contribute to the project may contact him at Drury University, 873-7201.