Can historic church be saved? Published: July 11, 2007 BY WILL JONES Media General News Service Audrey Winston is piecing together a quilt to trace the history of Springfield Baptist Church, from its origin in 1882 to today. One panel will show an old, black-and-white photograph of the congregation posed outside the small sanctuary, built in 1887 in Short Pump. Winston and others working on the quilt project will soon find out whether their photographs will be all that’s left of the old building. A nonprofit group dedicated to preserving the area’s architectural and lifestyle heritage has made a deal with a developer to move the church rather than demolish it. However, leaders of the Rockville-Centerville Steam & Gas Historical Association are concerned they might be unable to finish the move by the Aug. 5 deadline. If that’s the case, tearing down the building may be the only other viable option, said Melinda Gammon, secretary of the association. “We’re going to do everything we can to not do that,” she said. The group plans to spend at least $25,000 to relocate the church to the Field Day of the Past showgrounds on Ashland Road (state Route 623) in eastern Goochland County. It faces a $20,000 penalty if the deadline is missed. “Coming up with that $20,000 is going to be very, very difficult for us,” Gammon said. The Springfield Baptist Church building sits in the middle of an exploding retail corridor of western Henrico County. It’s tucked between Interstate 64 and West Broad Street, behind the Best Buy and Kohl’s stores and immediately west of Tom Leonard’s Farmer’s Market. The church sold the property three years ago and now meets at J.R. Tucker High School, with hopes of eventually building a new sanctuary. It’s unclear whether the company would accept any flexibility with the Aug. 5 deadline. Larry Willis of Atlantic Development said in an e-mail late last week that most contracts have deadlines. In a follow-up e-mail, he said, “I expect payment anytime [and] I am owed $$.” Church members had mixed feelings about selling the old sanctuary, but most of them realized it made long-term sense for the church, said its pastor, the Rev. Proctor Beard. Springfield Baptist continues to maintain the cemetery on the grounds and is guaranteed access in perpetuity, he said. Gammon said the move is under a tight schedule because of delays getting a demolition permit from Henrico. The project also is relying on volunteer labor and cooperative weather, and it involves removal of the roof, bell tower and steeple, plus the construction of a stabilizing wall. Gammon’s group doesn’t plan to take the wings that were added when the church was put on a foundation in the 1950s. Winston, who leads her church’s Christian-education ministry, said she looks forward to visiting the Goochland site next month to discuss how the church should be interpreted. “Having to leave was an emotional time, and to realize it is going to be restored and placed on some historical property was a relief,” she said. “We know it will always be there.” If the move is successful, the church will make a fine addition to the showgrounds, Gammon said. It will sit among other period buildings and be one of only a few predominantly African-American churches from its era that remain locally. APVA Preservation Virginia helped broker the deal for the move. “A church was an integral part of a community” in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, Gammon said. “Church was a central focus to family life and community life.” • Will Jones is a Times-Dispatch staff writer. |
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