Artists group eyes move to church, prays they can raise the money
To accomplish that goal, Mr. Kuhne estimates the organization would need to raise $300,000 and also apply the profit from the sale of its current building.
Should it be able to make the purchase, Mr. Kuhne said the group would lease space within the church to outside organizations for art-related activities in order to generate revenue for the ongoing upkeep and preservation of the building.
The group will start by organizing fundraisers and looking into possible grant opportunities, though Mr. Kuhne admits raising enough cash to acquire the church could take “quiet a while.”
“Community support is essential,” Mr. Kuhne said.
As the Old Town Arts and Crafts Guild seeks to grow, the local North Fork United Methodist Church congregation is looking to downsize.
As part of an ongoing plan to consolidate the Methodists from Southold and Cutchogue — and generate enough money to build a new church elsewhere in Southold Town for the combined congregation — the parish listed the property for $990,000 in November.
Mr. Kuhne said he had spoken to the realtor handling the church property last month.
“The problem is they want $1 million for the property — and I am not saying it isn’t worth it, but we don’t have that money right now and I am not sure if they are willing to wait for us,” Mr. Kuhne said. “They are dealing in dollars and cents. They are looking to benefit their organization, too. I get that.”
To date, no official offer has been made on the Cutchogue church, built around 1928, said North Fork United Methodist Church Pastor Tom MacLeod.
“I am not going to refuse any offer,” he said. “I don’t want to make it seem as though I would not wait, but at the same time it is a real estate market.”
Repurposing vacant church buildings has become a trend across not only in New York State, but across the country. Wineries, breweries, offices, homes and cultural centers have all taken over former places of worship.
In upstate Troy, for example, a similar nonprofit artists’ group moved its studio into an abandoned church. In that case, the Contemporary Artist Center organization was able to purchase a long-vacant Presbyterian church outright for $200,000 in 2009. But to do so, its members needed to rally financial support from the community to cover the cost of renovating the 1868 building, said executive director Hezzie Johanson.
Through outreach, she said, the Contemporary Artist Center succeeded in reaching local residents who cared both about the arts and about preserving the church building, and convincing them to donate to the cause.
Ms. Johanson also said her group would often enter online contests for corporate grant money, a few of which they won.
The Contemporary Artist Center was able to move into its church space about a year after purchasing the property and expects renovations to finally be completed this year.
“[The building] needed about $1 million worth of work, which we have been raising for the past five years,” she said. “It has taken sometime but we are 99 percent done.”
Seeing other nonprofit organizations receive significant support from backers is encouraging for Mr. Kuhne, who has pointed to the financial assistance of Peconic Land Trust, which enabled the New Suffolk Waterfront Fund to buy its First Street property, as an example of nonprofits working together.
“If a benefactor donated $1 million that would move things along,” he said. “If donations come in a few hundred at a time, it could take a while.”
In the meantime, guild members are content to gather at Cutchogue New Suffolk Library, itself a converted church building.
“Churches that are up for sale now are perfect for community activities,” Mr. Kuhne said. “That is what they were designed for, as a place where people can gather.”
