Efforts continue to preserve First Presbyterian Church of Carson City, the oldest church building in Nevada, with attention on preserving its former sanctuary. Inside, stairs have been crumbling, epoxy resin seeps into walls that hold up beautiful stain-glassed windows and aged banners line the walls of a small chapel space that still echo a previous life of a worship center even with its weathered carpentry and pews. Members Charlene Rodman and Grace Speicher, along with their fellow committee members comprised of builders, engineers and other experts, have wanted to fund work through donations as much as possible. “Since I was here, we did have the roof on the old sanctuary re-sheaved and asphalt singles put on them,” Rodman said. Fundraisers include a presentation by McAvoy Layne, the “ghost of Mark Twain,” on May 4, as well as a planned rummage sale and fall craft fair. The church held a chili feed at which it raised about $3,150 before expenses with about 115 people attending. The committee sent out a letter in October asking members and community friends for interest in reviving the historic sanctuary. The roof has been replaced at a price tag of $34,000, along with the front door, with a work group stripping it down to bare wood. As of Friday, the crumbling steps entering the building were being repaired for $5,300, according to Speicher and her husband Bob Speicher. The top steps contain original granite from the church’s beginnings, Bob Speicher said, which were being sandblasted. As new concrete was powder coated, Grace Speicher said a Bible verse would be inscribed, and the railings would be sandblasted. The church board of 12 members decides by consent which individual projects and repairs are done, Grace Speicher and Rodman said. “We’ve had great support, but I think we need to reach beyond the church,” Rodman said. Speicher said it’s important to break down the work little by little with the cost at stake as well as for educational purposes. “(W)e need to preserve our history, and not only is it the oldest church building but it is the longest continuing congregation,” she said. “It started in 1861 and it has been in continuous meetings since been.” Discussions have been ongoing about retrofitting the church and safety needs throughout the years as earthquake loads have increased. In 1996, church members met with Melvyn Green of Melvyn Green and Associates in San Francisco, who evaluated structural work to be completed at a cost of $147,719 for seismic rehabilitation to bring the sanctuary up to code in a phased program. Green returned to update his assessment last year, and told the committee it was still possible to finish the project in phases, Rodman and Speicher said. But the original cost of $147,000 would now be at least $300,000 and up to $500,000. Green said the phases could include attaching the roof to the walls; bracing the tall gable walls to keep the sanctuary from collapsing; making upgrades to the two-story bell tower; applying plywood to the roof to limit outward pressure on walls as part of reroofing; strengthening walls or applying additional bracing; and other items including truss support. “The church has been committed to redoing this, and we want to do it from internal funds,” Bob Speicher said, adding the church has kept a wealth of information on the property’s history. Fundraising efforts will continue, including a holiday artist and craft fair in October. Vendor information is available at https://www.fpccarsoncity.org/blog/post/october-2022-. A GoFundMe account also is available for donations at https://www.gofundme.com/f/first-presbyterian-church-cc-old-sanctuary?qid=4f9137f5b7fbb9fd5f131f43f232cbb2. Finally, they said with Layne coming to the church at 115 N. Division St. on May 4, they were excited about allowing the public to enter and enjoy the sanctuary. “It’s going to be nice to have people enter through the old sanctuary and then bring them through the Family Life Center so people could come and see the beauty that’s in there because the windows are gorgeous,” Rodman said. “So little by little, we’re trying to do that.”
