Iowa City church might seek demo permit to sell property

March 4, 2015 | 5:11 pm

IOWA CITY A committee with Unitarian Universalist Society of Iowa City has recommended church officials apply for a permit to tear down the church in an effort to secure a sale of their near-downtown property.

Church officials said the recommendation was sparked by concerns that a looming application for historic landmark designation of the 107-year-old church at 10 S. Gilbert St. will slash the propertys value to developers and is leaving potential buyers unwilling to close a deal.

Adam Ingersoll, a member of the societys board of trustees and its facilities committee, said the decision does not reflect a desire to tear down the building the congregation has called home for more than a century. Rather, its a necessary move to sell the property.

This decision that we are going to go to the city with, to apply for demolition permits, its not rash ..., Ingersoll said. It is a corner that we feel backed into after years and years and years of painstaking process to figure out what we need to do to prepare for the next 100 years of our society.

Ingersoll said rumors of an application for historic landmark designation has potential buyers hesitant to close a deal on the property, as such a designation if approved by the Iowa City Council would prohibit demolition and greatly reduce the propertys value to developers. So church officials plan to meet the issue head-on, he said.

The societys board will vote March 12 on the recommendation which was mailed to congregation members Wednesday to apply for a demolition permit for the church.

Alicia Trimble, executive director with Friends of Historic Preservation, said Wednesday she has no plans to file an application for landmark designation of the church property, but added that a group of residents are pursuing such an effort.

If this demo permit is presented, I am absolutely sure a landmark application will be dropped on them and it probably will not be from Friends of Historic Preservation, she said.

That said, Trimble said she has researched the property and it absolutely would meet requirements for both local and national landmark recognition.

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Iowa City church might seek demo permit to sell property