Historic Auburn church eyed for redesign
The century-old St. Louis Church in Auburn is under consideration for a redesign to turn it into an arts center, the Sun Journal reported.
In 2014, architect Noel Smith and a few other local people formed the investment group Pilotage and bought the former Catholic church from the Catholic diocese, previously set for demolition, for $75. They started to rehab the building and have held open houses to raise awareness and money. The tentative plan calls for a stage in place of the altar, with performance and office spaces on the floor below.
"We felt if it disappeared, basically the heart of this community would be gone,” Smith told the paper.
In 2013, the Bangor Daily News reported that the two-spired, neo-Gothic landmark featured a grand nave with columns, arched ceiling and finely detailed stained glass, but also needed repairs to the brick structure and dilapidated roof.
Workers placed St. Louis’ cornerstone in May 1915. It became a center of community activity, at its peak, the church and its school serving between 1,000 and 1,200 families, the BDN reported. The school closed in 1969. The church held its last service in 2013.
For now, the investors are just trying to drum up support, the Sun Journal reported.
"What we're trying to do is plant the seeds for something that we hope will grow,” Smith said.
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