Cathleen Allison/Nevada Appeal Pat McFadden, with Diversified Concrete Cutting of Reno, excavates sections of the First Presbyterian Church on Thursday to make way for construction of a new sanctuary. Church officials agreed to preserve the original sanctuary, seen at rear, after early plans that included demolition of the historic 1864 portion of the building brought protests from around the community.
A steady stream of parishioners drove by Thursday watching workers separate a 58-year-old addition from the original 1864 structure of the First Presbyterian Church.
The excavator tore through the roof of the south-side building, but not before the pastor had his chance.
"I took the first swing of the sledgehammer to the building," the Rev. Bruce Kochsmeier said.
"I've had parishioners calling me all week asking when it would be coming down. It's exciting this is finally being done."
Parishioner Duane Glanzmann, 72, has been a member of the church for more than 50 years. Braving the cold, Glanzmann watched as crews made progress separating the two structures.
"I'm glad they worked out a deal to save the old building. It does have historical significance," Glanzmann said.
"It is exciting. There's always going to be change in one's life, and I'm OK with this change."
"The church was built in the 20th century, but operated in the 19th century," Kochsmeier said.
"We hope to be in the new sanctuary by Christmas, in a perfect world. In terms of religious holidays, maybe by Easter 2008."
The new 9,600-square-foot sanctuary will seat about 400 on sloped flooring. It will have central heating and air, with additional restrooms. But the improvements came only after months of meetings, building plans, permits and compromises.
The planning for the new sanctuary began more than 5 years ago.
"The first plans began after Sept. 11 (2001), with the understanding the old building, the 1864 sanctuary, would come down and a new building put up in its place," Kochsmeier said.
The building, at 110 N. Nevada St., did not fulfill the church's growing needs. But history and preservation advocates said tearing it down would destroy an essential part of the city and the nation's history.
In March, the church reached an agreement with Carson City where the city is required to restore the historic structure while the church would retain ownership and was allowed to build a bigger church next to the historic sanctuary.
When the church was founded in 1861, the Presbyterian congregation had no proper place to meet. They began building a church, but in 1864, lacked necessary funds to complete it. Church trustees Seymour Pixley and Gregory A. Sears then asked Samuel Clemens - aka Mark Twain - to help. The idea was to charge admission to hear Twain give his third annual message to the Third House, an invented body where Twain and others satirized politics and lawmakers.
Twain's speech raised $200, which funded completion of the church.
The 1949 additions, about 1,200 square-feet total, housed the choir loft and organ chancel on the west side, and furnace and restrooms on the south. Prior to the additions, the church had no heating, plumbing or electricity.
Thursday, work crews for Shaheen-Beauchamp Builders, of Carson City, and Diversified Concrete Cutting, of Reno, demolished any reference to 1949.
Even though the 58-year-old addition to First Presbyterian Church has been torn down, the congregation is not without a home.
The church holds services and other activities in the Family Life Center, adjacent to the original sanctuary. It was constructed after reports from structural engineers said the church was deteriorating and would soon become structurally unsound.
• Contact Rhonda Costa-Landers at rcosta-landers@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1223.