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A decision about whether to allow demolition of the First Presbyterian Church has been postponed - at least for now.
Historic Resources Commission members and city planning staff on Thursday asked church officials for more information about the structure, located at 110 N. Nevada St., before recommending whether to allow full or partial demolition of the building.
At least 50 people attended the commission meeting.
"We feel this building needs to be rehabilitated," said Bert Bedeau, representing Preserve Nevada. "With the proper approach we can find a solution."
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, gave his first for-pay performance in 1864 to help complete the church building, making it a "national treasure," said Guy Rocha, Nevada state archivist.
"Mark Twain is a great man; Jesus Christ is greater," countered parishioner Mary Sitts. The church exists "to teach about Jesus Christ, not Mark Twain."
Commissioners and city planning department employees emphasized that there might be a cost-effective way to preserve as much of the building as possible instead of knocking it down and starting from scratch with a reproduction that would "greatly emulate the original," said Rev. Bruce Kochsmeier, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.
Commissioner Rebecca Ossa, who also works for the State Preservation Office, provided the Presbyterians with some information about church rehabilitation that included potential fundraising sources for the work.
The commission also asked that church officials discuss other available options aside from tearing down the church and building a new one.
The church doesn't want to sell the building because they have been at the location for more than 140 years, Kochsmeier said. They also have other facilities there, such as their Family Life Center, built in the 1990s. They stopped using the church and began holding services in the center in September 2001.
The old church is unsafe and no longer fulfills their needs as a congregation because, for one thing, it is too small, and won't serve future needs, Kochsmeier said.
Donations from any source - public or private - to restore the old building to its former glory wouldn't be acceptable to the church because that's not what they are looking for. If a rehabilitation resulted in a sanctuary that wouldn't suit the church, the church would prefer the money be used elsewhere in the community, he also said.
Tearing down the old sanctuary and building a new one is the solution most favored by parishioners, Kochsmeier said.
The First Presbyterian Church building was completed in 1864, and is one of the oldest churches in the state. It is one of three historic churches downtown that rest only blocks apart. The other two are The First United Methodist Church at 412 W. Musser St. and St. Peter's Episcopal Church at the corner of Division and Telegraph streets. Both were completed in the mid-to-late 1860s.
The church is budgeting roughly $1.7 million for a new sanctuary. This amount doesn't include furnishings. Price tags for preserving the old building have varied greatly, depending on how the project is designed. One estimate was as low as $2.1 million and others have been as high as $4 million or $5 million, according to the church.
If the church's request for demolition eventually is denied by commissioners, the church can appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors.
"It's going to take some compromise," said Walt Sullivan, the city's community development director. "I do feel there's common ground out there."
-- Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.
Historic Resources Commission members and city planning staff on Thursday asked church officials for more information about the structure, located at 110 N. Nevada St., before recommending whether to allow full or partial demolition of the building.
At least 50 people attended the commission meeting.
"We feel this building needs to be rehabilitated," said Bert Bedeau, representing Preserve Nevada. "With the proper approach we can find a solution."
Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain, gave his first for-pay performance in 1864 to help complete the church building, making it a "national treasure," said Guy Rocha, Nevada state archivist.
"Mark Twain is a great man; Jesus Christ is greater," countered parishioner Mary Sitts. The church exists "to teach about Jesus Christ, not Mark Twain."
Commissioners and city planning department employees emphasized that there might be a cost-effective way to preserve as much of the building as possible instead of knocking it down and starting from scratch with a reproduction that would "greatly emulate the original," said Rev. Bruce Kochsmeier, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church.
Commissioner Rebecca Ossa, who also works for the State Preservation Office, provided the Presbyterians with some information about church rehabilitation that included potential fundraising sources for the work.
The commission also asked that church officials discuss other available options aside from tearing down the church and building a new one.
The church doesn't want to sell the building because they have been at the location for more than 140 years, Kochsmeier said. They also have other facilities there, such as their Family Life Center, built in the 1990s. They stopped using the church and began holding services in the center in September 2001.
The old church is unsafe and no longer fulfills their needs as a congregation because, for one thing, it is too small, and won't serve future needs, Kochsmeier said.
Donations from any source - public or private - to restore the old building to its former glory wouldn't be acceptable to the church because that's not what they are looking for. If a rehabilitation resulted in a sanctuary that wouldn't suit the church, the church would prefer the money be used elsewhere in the community, he also said.
Tearing down the old sanctuary and building a new one is the solution most favored by parishioners, Kochsmeier said.
The First Presbyterian Church building was completed in 1864, and is one of the oldest churches in the state. It is one of three historic churches downtown that rest only blocks apart. The other two are The First United Methodist Church at 412 W. Musser St. and St. Peter's Episcopal Church at the corner of Division and Telegraph streets. Both were completed in the mid-to-late 1860s.
The church is budgeting roughly $1.7 million for a new sanctuary. This amount doesn't include furnishings. Price tags for preserving the old building have varied greatly, depending on how the project is designed. One estimate was as low as $2.1 million and others have been as high as $4 million or $5 million, according to the church.
If the church's request for demolition eventually is denied by commissioners, the church can appeal the decision to the Board of Supervisors.
"It's going to take some compromise," said Walt Sullivan, the city's community development director. "I do feel there's common ground out there."
-- Contact reporter Terri Harber at tharber @nevadaappeal.com or 882-2111, ext. 215.
