Lizzie Borden worshipped here, Aerosmith played here. Now the Historic Abbey is for sale.

FALL RIVER — One of downtown Fall River’s most exquisite, most historic, and most controversial structures is on the real estate market.

The former Central Congregational Church at 100 Rock St. — the church where infamous murder suspect Lizzie Borden attended services and taught Sunday school — is being sold by Here Realty. The asking price is $1.6 million.

"It’s a great building," said Andrew Lombardi, owner of what is now called the Historic Abbey. "It’s a historic building that needs to be preserved, and we’ve done quite a bit to it to get it to where it is now."

The building was constructed in 1875 of brick and Scotch granite, and was designed in the Ruskinian Gothic style by noted Boston architectural firm Hartwell & Swazey. That firm also designed the Academy Building on South Main Street, the Sarah S. Brayton mansion at 484 Highland Ave., and several historic firehouses in Fall River.

It is on the National Register of Historic Places, in the state Historical Commission’s database, and the city’s list of significant structures.

According to the listing, the building is being sold as a commercial property. It contains just over 17,000 square feet on about 0.7 acres of land between Franklin and Bank streets.

The Historic Abbey is an events venue. Lombardi said it's his intention to sell the building and his business, but that he'd be open to having a partner come in with him, or possibly lease the space. But his intention is to keep the building's current use.

"We’re trying to sell the business, keep it to do weddings there and functions and stuff," Lombardi said. "Maybe possibly a restaurateur to come in or somebody like that. It’s a great spot for that."

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When and why the Historic Abbey was built

"From its inception, it has been the church of the elite mill owners,” reads part of the description in the church’s National Register documentation.

Central Congregational fulfilled a key role in the lives of Fall River's wealthiest, most well-connected businessmen for many decades. But in 1987, the church closed when the membership had dwindled to about 200 people.

The building was nearly destroyed — twice, in the late 1980s and the 2010s, to make way for a parking lot. Both times, it was saved by citizen group SAVE (Save Architecturally Valuable Edifices), led by Al Lima and Pamela MacLeod-Lima among others.

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When did Lizzie Borden attend the church

One of Fall River's most infamous residents, Lizzie Borden worshipped at the church but she left it in 1893, because many of her few parishioners shunned her post-trial.

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Aerosmith's Cryin' music video location and former Abbey Grill

Interest in the building was briefly revived in the early 1990s, when rock group Aerosmith shot their music video “Cryin’” in the building.

A few years later, in 1997, the former church became the home of the International Institute of Culinary Arts, a cooking school, and the Abbey Grill. It operated until its abrupt closure in 2009.

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What investments have been made in the building

It remained vacant for years until acquired in the mid-2010s by Lombardi — but the building had fallen into disrepair, and much of the latter half of the 2010s saw the building undergo emergency repairs. Its steeple was frequently shrouded to protect pedestrians from falling bricks, which required a road detour on Rock Street. Lombardi said he's spent well over $1 million on repairs and renovations to the building, with a small amount coming from Community Preservation Act funding. The steeple repointing and repairs alone, he said, came to over $500,000.

"I’ve got a lot on my plate right now, so I think somebody, or maybe a couple of people or some partners can take it to the next level," Lombardi said.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Ties to Lizzie Borden and Aerosmith: Fall River, MA, church for sale