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The Berkeley Observer
Goose Creek Seeks Bids To Remove Wedding & Prayer Chapel After Renovations Prove Costly
By Nikki Gaskins Campbell,
2024-03-01
The chapel is located at 222 Saint James Avenue in Goose Creek. (CREDIT: The Berkeley Observer)
GOOSE CREEK, S.C. – Goose Creek Mayor Greg Habib announced Thursday that the city is currently accepting bids from residents or local businesses to purchase the iconic Wedding and Prayer Chapel on St. James Avenue and have it moved to a new location.
The city purchased the chapel in 2022 – approximately three years after its founder, Pastor M.C. Williams, died. According to Habib, the city had planned to renovate the building and turn it into an art center. However, city officials soon discovered that renovations would cost more than building a new facility.
The mayor described the structural damage to the chapel as “tremendous.”
“As much as this building means to our community, it’s fiscally irresponsible for us to move ahead with a renovation plan when, in fact, building a new building will cost less and give us a better, more appropriate building for our application,” Habib said.
According to Habib, the city is moving forward with building a new art center. The building will be 140 square feet larger than the existing chapel and is estimated to cost approximately $50,000 less than a renovation.
“It’s going to look nearly the same. We recognize the value of the aesthetics of this building and what it needs to look like so that it maintains its position in our city,” Habib said. “A new building will be much more accessible for folks with all abilities, and by designing new, we can make minor changes that will allow us to program more family-friendly and safer performances and displays.”
“While I’m excited about this initiative, the idea of this building just going away will hurt a lot of folks’ feelings including mine, so we are going to create the opportunity for someone to come in, lift this building, and take it to a sight of their choosing,” he continued.
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