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Church dating to 1920s starts to come down

Condominiums will go up in Calvary Baptist's place. A historian says Clearwater will feel the loss.

By Times Staff Writer
Published January 27, 2006

CLEARWATER - Workers with D.H Griffin Wrecking and Opus South Contractors have begun demolishing Calvary Baptist Church at Osceola Avenue and Cleveland Street.

The demolition is a heart-wrenching loss to those who had hoped that the church, or some part of it, could somehow be saved.

"It really is the last historic landmark left on the bluff," local historian Michael Sanders said. "I think the city of Clearwater is going to suffer. The quality of life here is going to suffer. I look inside that dome into that beautiful rotunda - it could have been used for 100 different purposes."

The church, which dates to the 1920s, is being leveled to make way for a condominium development. The congregation has moved its operation to a new $23.5-million facility on McMullen-Booth Road.

The mayor, Frank Hibbard, also a member of the church, had hoped to save the original sanctuary, moving it and possibly turning it into an arts center. But engineers said it would cost too much, and city officials said moving the structure would prove too difficult, so it's coming down instead. Church members held their final service there in December.

Calvary members agreed to sell their downtown properties to Opus South Corp. last year for $15-million. In August, Clearwater's Community Development Board approved Opus' plans to build a 271-foot, 25-story condominium tower at Osceola Avenue and Cleveland Street, replacing the church.

[Last modified January 27, 2006, 01:21:16]