The St. Peter's Church in Duluth City is being sold for $150,000 after the city declined a petition to declare it a local heritage landmark.
The Church, which sits in the Duluth's Little Italy neighborhood, was built by Italian stonemasons in 1926 who were ostracised for being immigrants, and was closed down in 2010 because the parishioners were unable to keep up with the maintenance costs for the building which are now estimated at $3.1 million.
Rev. Peter Muhich of St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish, which has jurisdiction over the church, said that he is hoping for the quick sale of the property, this being the second time it has been advertised.
It comes after the petition to declare it a local landmark by the Duluth Heritage Preservation Commission was denied by the city council.
The parish was unsupportive of the measure as it could result in legal conflicts in the sale.
If Duluth City granted the landmark petition made by the Commission, the new owners would need to seek a Certificate of Appropriateness before it could do anything with the property, but the Heritage Preservation Commission would still be able to reject the application.
"Although the parish wasn't in favour of the church being designated a landmark, the Heritage Preservation Commission felt its "hand was forced in that direction."
"Landmark designation is a tool the city can use to preserve its heritage — and the commission doesn't want historic preservation to be considered negative in Duluth," David Woodward, chairman of the Commission, said.
He added that while financial incentives were available to help with repairs, the parish was either unaware or unwilling to pursue those options.
Meanwhile, Woodward remains hopeful that the new owner would see the value in preserving the landmark as a rich part of the city's history as the new owners can apply for landmark status themselves after one year.
He also expressed hope that if the sale pushes through, the new owners could at least preserve the façade of the building and find a new use for the rest of the site that would benefit the community.
