Crown Point’s oldest church seeks a buyer

The 1886 Church Foundation is looking for a preservation-minded buyer to reuse Trinity Lutheran in Crown Point.

The asking price for the historic landmark church and school is $7,500.

The buildings at 400 East North St. have been part of the community since they were founded as part of Trinity Lutheran Church in 1886. Constructed of local clay-fired brick and native stone, the building is believed to be the oldest church structure in Crown Point. The cornerstone of the adjacent school building was laid in 1938.

Trinity Lutheran relocated to a new building in 1958. Both the church and school were adapted into apartments. The buildings need interior rehabilitation and exterior repairs, including a new roof and masonry rehabilitation.

The church is close to Crown Point’s downtown courthouse square. The two-story former sanctuary offers 2,480 square feet that could be repurposed. The adjoining former school measures about 4,100 square feet.

“These buildings represent a great opportunity for someone to revitalize an important landmark property into a unique asset for the community,” says Blake Swihart, director of Indiana Landmarks’ northwest field office, in a press release .

Indiana Landmarks is working with the 1886 Church Foundation, which owns the building, to market the property.

“We’d hate to see such a significant historic structure demolished for some sort of generic redevelopment, especially so close to Crown Point’s locally designated Eastside Historic District and its National Register-listed Courthouse Square Historic District,” Swihart said.

Indiana Landmarks helps people rescue endangered landmarks and restore historic neighborhoods and downtowns. The nonprofit organization works to revitalize communities, strengthen connections to diverse heritage and save meaningful places. Indiana Landmarks has nine offices located throughout the state.

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