At the October 21 meeting of the City Council, twenty-one Councilors voted to approve a grant of $2 million in Community Preservation Act funding toward the restoration of the bell tower of the First Baptist Church in Newton Centre. In response to concerns raised in an earlier meeting of the City Council, the Community Preservation Committee reviewed the original funding recommendation (see Fig City News article) and added a Use Restriction stipulating that:
- The Church must continue to allow community access to the building;
- If the Church sells the building, it will include deed restrictions requiring that subsequent owners shall comply with the community access component for thirty years following the Grant Agreement; and
- If a subsequent owner decides not to allow community access, that owner must repay the amounts received from the City, with a proportional reduction over 30 years.
Only Councilors David Micley and Bill Humphrey voted against the CPA funding.
Councilor Stephen Farrell “stepped outside the rail” – indicating he was declining to vote for or against the measure – and raised “concerns about the fundraising strategy.” As he explained to Fig City News, he had not seen a detailed fundraising plan that would provide for the Church’s portion of the funding for the $4.45 million project. As a professional fundraiser, he expressed concern that the Church might not succeed in that fundraising effort. Councilor Danberg, who favors the appropriation, expressed confidence in the Church’s ability to raise the money because of the many arts and culture groups that have used the Church as a performance space.
The Church has already spent $400,000 to stabilize the tower, which is part of the estimated $4.45 million total cost to repair the damage, according to the project’s restoration architect, Scott Aquilina. The Church hopes to raise the additional money from a range of non-profits, private citizens, and arts and culture groups.
Councilor David Micley expressed concerns around the City’s spending priorities. Noting that the Council recently approved CPA funding to restore the tower of Grace Episcopal Church, he raised the matter of “trade offs,” citing some of the other projects that need funds and have been publicly funded, and he asked how many more appeals will the City receive for financial assistance. He expressed some resistance to giving public money to religious institutions, regardless of the legality. (Earlier, Councilor Susan Albright had noted a 2018 Supreme Judicial Court ruling that public money could be given to religious institutions for non-religious projects such as repairing or sustaining buildings.) Councilor Humphrey told the Council he would vote “no,” as he had for other publicly funded church projects, because he opposes using any form of government money on religious institutions.
As the vote demonstrates, the CPC recommendation had the overwhelming support of the majority of Councilors, many of whom spoke about the Church’s benefit to the community as a performance and meeting space. Many emphasized the need for preservation of Newton’s remaining historic heritage — much of it represented by places of worship. In her comments, Councilor Becky Grossman said her support “isn’t about bailing out a congregation. …It’s about preserving the beauty of our city and preserving the history of our cityscape.” She emphasized that many local churches are often the site of affordable child care. Although Councilor Martha Bixby voted for the CPA grant, she urged her colleagues to develop a plan for the other Newton churches that are more than a century old.
The preservation of historic church buildings for community use is personal for Councilor Tarik Lucas, whose great-grandmother established the St. James African Orthodox Church in Roxbury. It was a center of Black civil rights and activism movement. Slated for demolition, it was rescued by Historic Boston, Inc. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, it will become a community center of the Roxbury Action Program.
For Sachiko Isihara, Director of the Suzuki School of Newton, and Adrienne Hartsell, Director of the Newton Cultural Alliance, the City Council’s approval supports the return of a venue for a variety of concerts and performances. “The arts are an economic driver, not just in Newton but across the nation,” Ms. Hartsell told Fig City News. Ms. Isihara responded to the vote, telling Fig City News:
I am very happy that the CPC funding came through for the First Baptist Church. It is a unique historic property not only because it is the only acoustically appropriate venue in Newton for large orchestral, choral, and our Suzuki music student performances but because it is situated in a Newton village center with all the synergy of restaurants, businesses, and the T. As we all know, having cultural events bring people together, add vibrancy and connection, and drives more economic activity for local businesses. It is mutually beneficial for all in the community as the arts, in turn, rely on their sponsorships and support. We need to support these historic and architecturally unique buildings whose ability to provide community spaces make Newton an interesting city.
— Sachiko Isihara, Director of the Suzuki School of Newton
