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Sanctuary under siege: The issuesBy WAVENEY ANN MOORE © St. Petersburg Times, published April 22, 2001 More than 100 members of the congregation filled City Hall council chambers when the city's Historic Preservation Commission met to decide whether to let the Episcopal Cathedral Church of St. Peter tear down the former First Baptist Church. Even the bishop showed up to plead the cathedral's case. So did the dean of the cathedral, the Rev. Randall Hehr. But city staff had already recommended denial of St. Peter's request, stating among other things that the old Baptist sanctuary is "a rare example of the neoclassical revival style in St. Petersburg." Cathedral leaders and their supporters say the old Baptist Church must be torn down to make way for parking. The former Baptist church, they contend, is in such poor condition that they have not been able to find anyone willing to buy it. The choice is clear, they say: save the empty Baptist church and risk losing St. Peter's, a vibrant downtown congregation. "All studies about church growth begin with addressing accessible parking," Hehr said late last week. "You can have brilliant clergy. You can have a fantastic building, but if you don't have parking, you're not going to grow." City staff, however, says there is plenty of parking, with 4,500 spaces in the vicinity of St. Peter's. Tim Clemmons, president of the North Downtown Neighborhood Association and an architect with offices nearby, says he is sympathetic to the cathedral's needs. But he said the church is a valuable piece of architecture and, from what he has been told, represents the prevalent style of Baptist churches built during the early 20th century. "The neoclassical style was their accepted standard at that time," Clemmons said. An advocate of preservation, Clemmons also has a financial stake in saving the church. He wants to renovate it into townhomes and apartments. Over the years, said church administrator Bill Bennett, the cathedral has spent thousands of dollars to keep up the building. A few years ago, he said, the city insisted that the outside be painted. That cost about $13,000. Bill Harvard, an architect for the cathedral, said the building's wooden floor and roof and open stairwells are features that would make it expensive to be brought up to code for public use. Its sloping floor would have to be removed if the building is converted for residences, he said. But Clemmons, who told commission members he has a client willing to purchase the property at its appraised value, is prepared to replace the floor. Renovation is expensive, he agreed. But, he added, "It's expensive to build a new building too."
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