A Fort Worth church set for demolition finds new lease on life as modern apartments
A historic church in the Riverside neighborhood was going to be demolished, but now it’s providing an affordable place to live for around 90 families.
The 100-year-old Riverside Baptist Church, which closed its doors in 2018, is now Cielo Place. The church was renovated into modern apartments with LED lighting, granite countertops and plumbing that saves water.
City leaders and neighborhood residents gathered for a groundbreaking and ribbon cutting Dec. 16 to formally open Cielo Place where families started moving in two months ago.
Rick Herring, moderator of the Riverside Alliance, said he and others in the area fought to save the church when they learned that a developer wanted to demolish the building.
“What’s on the ground today is a testament to what can be done. It’s so nice that they (developer Saigebrook) saved the building,” he said.
Lisa Stephens, president of the Austin-based Saigebrook Development, a firm that specializes in creating affordable housing, said the project was a win for everyone including neighborhood residents who wanted to save the old church building and people who needed a home where they can afford to live.
“We began moving folks in around two months ago and we are one hundred percent leased,” Stephens said.
Stephens said leasing started before they had the certificate of occupancy.
“The demand was so strong. We’ve just been trying to keep up with the interest.” Stephens said Saigebrook financed the construction at Cielo Place using the housing tax credit program, which is used to secure equity when the developer agrees to restrict the rent in some units to 30, 50 and 60 percent of the median income.
There are 80 apartments where the rent is restricted and 11 unrestricted units, meaning some tenants will pay the market rent.
“With that mix of units, this is holistic housing regardless of income,” Stephens said.
She said there is a lack of understanding of what affordable housing is.
“People don’t understand who is benefiting. There is a negative connotation that came about with public housing units from the 1970s, with government-owned and government-run housing” she said.
Over time, the buildings were not properly maintained, she said,
“The tax credits, with private investors provide a high level of oversight,” she said.
Saigebrook maintained the building’s historic architecture including leaving the stained-glass windows in some of the apartments and in the clubhouse. The sanctuary is now the clubhouse with a fitness center, seating areas, cubicles for working at home and a business center where people can use the computers and iPads and children can come after school to do homework.
Outside, there are pocket parks, outdoor seating and areas where tenants can barbecue.
Herring said he is glad to have the newly-renovated church in the neighborhood put to a good use.
“We had great support from lots of people, including council members. Nobody wanted to see this building torn down. It was a miracle that this building was saved,” Herring said.
This story was originally published December 18, 2021 at 5:30 AM.