Tax Credit Program Highlight: Allen Memorial Presbyterian Church

Edna, Jackson County

1908

Designation	Individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places
Historic Use	Church
Current Use	Event/rental facility
Total Rehabilitation Cost	$381,743
Qualified Rehabilitation Expenses	$317,603
Date Certified	August 21, 2017
	Certified for state and federal credits.

History

Allen Memorial Presbyterian sits within a quaint residential neighborhood of Edna, the seat of Jackson County. It is the second church on the site, having replaced a much smaller building from the 1880s. The church  was designed by Waco architect T. Brooks Pearson and has many traditional elements of churches from this time period, including its Gothic Revival style and its Akron Plan interior. Akron Plan churches place the pulpit in a corner of the sanctuary, with radial seating. The original Presbyterian congregation sold the church in 1965, after which it was used by multiple other congregations and later as a funeral home. The building saw minimal maintenance through that time, and was abandoned in 2011, becoming a neighborhood eyesore.

Rehabilitation Project

The church was purchased in 2014 by Edna’s mayor and a former county judge. They undertook an extensive rehabilitation to convert it and the non-historic fellowship hall into a rental facility. Both had long admired the building and wanted to preserve it and provide a place where the local community could gather for events.

The first step in the project involved removal of poison ivy and other plants that had grown extensively on the building, followed by structural repairs, and masonry cleaning and repairs. Most of the original windows and doors remained in place and were in surprisingly good condition, requiring minor repairs and repainting. The interior of the church needed only minor repairs. Because the roof was in good condition, with no leaks, the vaulted metal ceiling required only a new coat of paint. An access ramp was added at one corner of the building. New HVAC equipment was installed in the same location as the equipment added in the 1950s. The fellowship hall was similarly rehabbed with a light touch, and now houses the bride’s dressing room, dining hall, catering kitchen, and other gathering spaces. Finally, a new bell replaced the bell that the original congregation took with them.