BY THE NUMBERS
8,500: Square footage of the church
3,250: Weight of the church's peak
1808: Year church was constructed
1904: Year church was rebuilt after fire
2 million: Dollar value of the stone
12,000: Number of stones used in construction
500 tons: Weight of the stones
SOURCE: Middletown Historical Society and ResErections, Inc.
One board at a time, one stone at a time, a piece of Middletown’s history is heading to Texas.
Workers are disassembling the former First Baptist Church on South Main Street and shipping the stones to Bee Cave, Texas, where the structure will be rebuilt into an antique shopping center, said Lee McClymonds, owner of ResErections Inc., the Cincinnati-based company that’s overseeing the project.
Earlier this summer, the project halted after there was a discrepancy in who was responsible for paying for the removal of the asbestos that was found in the basement of the church. McClymonds said originally he was told the cost to remove the asbestos was $20,000, and his company budgeted that expense. But after debris was removed, and additional asbestos was discovered, that price tag rose to more than $50,000.
At a council meeting, Doug Adkins, community revitalization director, told council the city would have to pay $13,500 with money already set aside for demolition, and the Ohio Moving Forward Grant would match the $25,500 to come up with the needed $51,000.
He estimated the total cost to remove the structure at $110,000 to $150,000. Adkins called the decision to have another company demolish the church, and not the city, “a no-brainer.”
On Monday afternoon, McClymonds stood outside the church as workers slowly — are carefully — removed large stones on top of the church’s roof using a crane and harnesses. He said the church’s peak weighs an estimated 3,250 pounds and it’s one of the 12,000 stones that weigh a total of 500 tons.
McClymonds said the project is about half complete and he hopes to be finished by the first part of October. After all the stones and the five towering arches that have supported the church for the last 200 years have been removed, McClymonds said Vickers Demolition will knock down the brick walls, fill up the basement and turn the property into green space.
Adkins said the city has no plans to use the property.
Before the project began, the church property was laser scanned that provided details of the historic structure down to 1/7 of an inch, McClymonds said. Every piece of the church is being labeled with white stickers so when they’re shipped to Texas, the structure can be resurrected back to its original design. Unlike brick, about every stone in the church is shaped differently.
McClymonds was asked if it was like building a jigsaw puzzle.
“Exactly,” he said. “This really is a lot of fun.”
Unfortunately for the construction crew in Texas, what it needs first, the foundation blocks, will be the last to arrive.
The sanctuary and bell tower will be reassembled as the centerpiece of a shopping square that David and Tara Camp are developing in Bee Cave, just west of Austin, Texas. McClymonds compared Bee Cave to Indian Hill near Cincinnati.
The Camps have a store called Revival that uses the slogan “Divinely Inspired Home Design.” They sell new furniture, gifts and vintage items, such as old doors, and provide design services and art classes.
He estimates that the project in Texas could be complete as soon as March 2014.
About the Author