Effort under way to preserve historic brick church
The church, built in 1850, lacks running water, sewer service and heat.
By Gail Geraghty
Staff Writer

LOVELL – Around a dozen community members have answered the call to save the Lovell Village Brick Church.

A meeting on the issue drew 30 community members to the church on Christian Hill Road Monday. A dozen of those present agreed to continue the discussion at a Tuesday meeting at the Priscilla Bond Gallery in the village.

“There seemed to be a general interest in moving forward” with plans to transfer ownership of the church from the Lovell United Church of Christ to a nonprofit entity, Roberta Chandler said Tuesday.

Chandler is a member of the Lovell Historical Society who successfully applied to Maine Preservation to have the church listed this year as one of the state’s most endangered properties. The 1850 church, which lacks running water, sewer service or heat, was one of seven properties listed this year by the statewide advocacy organization for historic preservation.

Trustees of the Lovell United Church of Christ, located a few miles away in Center Lovell, decided some time ago they could no longer support two churches and a parsonage. The brick church needs a new roof, and the heating system no longer works.

Chandler said church members and others in the community would like to see improvements made to the brick church so it could be used for community events.

“It could provide a community focus, a place for visual and performing arts,” she said.

Chandler said those attending Monday’s meeting represented many varied interests in town, as well as church members.

“It was a very good mix of longtime members of the community and people who have come here and fallen in love with the community. There were also a few younger people too, which was good,” she said.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed a focus this year on finding alternative uses for small churches, according to Roxanne Eflin, executive director of Maine Preservation.

By being listed among Maine’s Most Endangered Historic Properties, the hope is that state and federal grants would be more available, Chandler said.

She estimated it will take around $200,000 for the needed improvements.

“It’s going to take more than a few cookie sales,” she said. But she envisions a combination of public and private money will be forthcoming in the project.

“I feel fairly good about it. Everybody seems to be on the same page,” she said.

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