Church to be moved to Wick Park and transformed into a community events center.
On Friday, July 20th, Youngstown CityScape held its campaign kickoff for the Welsh Congregational Church Renovation Project at Noble Creature Cask House (an example of a successfully renovated church in the city).
Welsh Congregational Church was built in 1861 and has remained at its current location ever since. At 157 years of age, it remains the oldest in the city of Youngstown and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It was closed permanently due to a fire in 1997.
In 2015, the church was purchased by the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown for purposes of clearing the land to make way for an expansion project at Saint Columba. Not wanting to demolish the structure, the Diocese sought community partners who might be able to relocate and repurpose the church. This led to a discussion with CityScape.
In 2017, CityScape convened a site visit and meeting with the diocese, mayor, architects and others to assess the feasibility of the project. It was determined that relocation of the church to Wick Park would be ideal given the park’s strong community identification and usage, location in a historic district, recent major investments, and proximity to nearby Stambaugh Auditorium, YSU and other institutions which could utilize it for various events. The facility will also be able to rented by the community for events such as weddings, arts/cultural events, community meetings, etc.
CityScape is seeking to raise approximately $10,000 for the first phase of the project. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, you can do so here.
Media:
Fundraiser Hopes To See Historic Park Moved To Wick Park (Vindicator)
Youngstown Non-Profit Aims To Relocate and Renovate City’s Oldest Church (WFMJ)
Fundraising Begins To Restore Youngstown’s Oldest Church (WKBN/WYTV)