Historic Arizona church transforming into a hub for events and restaurants
A historic downtown Phoenix church ravaged by fire is being transformed into an event venue with restaurants and bars.
The First Baptist Church, built in 1929 at Monroe Street and Third Avenue, is on track to reopen next spring as the Monroe Street Abbey. The large Gothic-style building’s first tenants are an event planner and a caterer. A restaurant and speakeasy are expected to be the next ones.
“We are already showing the Abbey to couples who want to get married there because it’s a unique place,” said Terry Goddard, a longtime Arizona politician and community advocate. “And, thankfully, the pigeons that have been living in the building aren’t putting them off.”
He said the building has had a rocky past.
Goddard has been fighting to save the former church with a steeple and cathedral glass window since 1992, when it was set to be demolished. A 1984 fire burned the roof but left most of the walls standing.
The former nave of the church, where grass and weeds are now growing, will be turned into a garden for events.
“It’s going to be an indoor/outdoor venue, and there’s nothing else in town like it,” said Trista Croce, owner of BTS Event Management, who signed a lease for space in Monroe Abbey on Friday. “It has a European look to it.”
Caterer Noelle Townsley, who owns Fresh from the Kitchen, also signed a lease for space in the Abby. She said the historic building will make a great spot for weddings and other events that will draw people.
Millions of dollars have already been spent buying the church and reinforcing walls damaged by the fire.
Goddard said another $6.6 million in funding from Local Initiatives Support Corporation and historic property tax credits will finance the rest of the church’s renovation.
Terry Benelli, executive director of LISC Phoenix, said that group’s mission is to look at community redevelopment in a comprehensive way that includes housing, small business, health clinics, education, community organizing, commercial development and historic preservation.
“We see the Abbey as an important, missing third place for downtown,” she said. “With all the redevelopment currently happening and planned for the neighborhood, it is important to preserve some of the more important structures from demolition and keep them accessible to the public.”
Goddard said the church’s renovation was about to launch in 2020. But then COVID-19 hit, and deals for tenants fell apart.
“I knew this building had seen hard times, but it’s been worth the work to keep it and make it a place for people to gather,” he said. “We are almost there.”
Reach the reporter at catherine.reagor@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8040. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @CatherineReagor.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: First Baptist Church in Phoenix transforming into event and food hub
