Illion Avenue N. & James Avenue N.
On a hill overlooking Cottage Park in North Minneapolis, the Garden of Gethsemane Ministries Church renovation consisted of renovating a vacant and dilapidated church by creating a restored space for the congregation to conduct its services and programs. The church was built in 1908 on a budget and the new congregants 100 years later were also on a tight budget.
The church building had walls that were caving in, staircases pulling away from the walls, water damage from past roof leaks, rotted exterior wood, lead paint and asbestos, lacked adequate bathrooms, had an interior exposed to the elements, and suffered from a general lack of maintenance that had taken its toll on most of the building.
Garden of Gethsemane Ministries is a primarily Liberian, non-denominational Christian church that has many of its members from North Minneapolis. The congregation was operating out of the Urban League in North Minneapolis for four years until they could renovate the church building.
The renovated church has added a significant amount of traffic to the Cottage Park community and park, which is helping to keep out negative activities, such as drug dealing and vandals. The church, as one component within a concerted effort to invest within the Cottage Park community, will help encourage other property owners and developers to invest in that community by building off of the confidence that there is investment being made and there is a real example of investment.
Construction consisted of mold and asbestos remediation, restoration of the existing pews, interior demolition of the walls and ceilings down to the studs, the complete rebuilding of two front, exterior staircases, new ADA entrance and ramp, installation of insulation, installation of new ADA bathrooms, restoration of interior woodwork and floors, rebuilding of the stage, new sound system and sound room, new fire and life safety system, new efficient HVAC, new sophisticated lighting system, new balcony rails, removal of exterior paint, refabrication of rotted exterior details, replaced wood shingles that required significant hand crafted attention, reinforced structural columns, and much more.
This is a story of a unique coming together of a congregation, community, for-profit and non-profit developers, and volunteer design talent to create a worshipful space to revitalize a neglected neighborhood through building reconstruction.
The church, located just north of West Broadway on James Avenue, was built in 1908 as Forest Heights Congregational Church. Forest Heights was established in 1894 with 80 members. In 1895, the original church building was built on the site. An addition was added in 1900 to better accommodate membership growth. In 1903, Forest Heights celebrated their mortgage payoff by burning their mortgage, followed by commencing construction on a new church, now home to Garden of Gethsemane, in 1908.
In 1947, Forest Heights Congregational Church merged with Pilgrim Congregational Church of Minneapolis. The two churches decided to relocate and sell their existing buildings. A host of ministries have called the church home since then.
In 2003, Garden of Gethsemane purchased the church. By then, the building had suffered from years of neglect. Garden of Gethsemane repaired the roof and windows to help stabilize the building until it could be fully restored.
Construction began in September 2008 and was fully completed in January 2009. The church renovation was mostly complete in time for a Christmas service.
Numerous organizations have recognized the importance of this renovation both for preserving the building but also for its impact on the community. The project received a 2008 Best in Real Estate Award for interior renovation for a non-profit from Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal.
The Minneapolis Heritage Preservation in conjunction with the Minneapolis chapter of the American Institute of Architects and Preserve Minneapolis awarded the 2009 Neighborhood Preservation Award.
The project received the Community Effort Award and the Charles Nelson Award for Excellence from Preservation Alliance of Minnesota at their Minnesota Preservation Awards ceremony in 2009. The Preservation Alliance of Minnesota is a statewide, private, nonprofit organization advocating for preserving Minnesota's historic resources.
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3033 Excelsior Blvd. 