Plans call for the church to vacate the 28-floor administration building and the Colonade, a 525-foot building abutting the church's reflecting pool, and move employees into another church-owned property. A church spokesman says they have not yet made a decision on whether to sell or lease the other buildings. "The board of directors will maintain control over the plaza and those two buildings but we have not yet decided what to do with them."
The spokesman tells GlobeSt.com that the decision to sell the Newton and Lynn homes "was not an easy one" but with renovations to both properties expected to run into the millions, church officials opted to sell the landmark buildings in order to focus on the church's mission of Christian healing. "When so many institutions are looking to historical buildings for their identity, this church is looking at action for their identity and that action is healing."
The homes, a 17,000-sf property set on more than eight acres at 400 Beacon St. in Newton's Chestnut Hill section, and a 3,000-sf site set on less than an acre at 12 Broad St. in Lynn, were used as museums until two years ago. The annual maintenance costs for both properties is about $700,000, according to the spokesman. Both homes are listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
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