CALVERT, Texas (KRHD) — Local community members and the Mayor of Calvert are teaming up to restore the St. Paul's United Methodist Church, to turn it into a wedding and event venue.
- The church was established in 1900, making it a historic landmark for more than a century
- Calvert hopes restoration will take nine to 12 months
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
St. Paul's United Methodist Church has been one of Calvert's historic treasures for more than a century.
"It is the seventh oldest African American heritage church's left in Texas, built in 1900," said Old Growth Ventures owner, Neal Dikeman.
What was once the largest church in Calvert, is now getting a fresh start.
"So that old buildings that don't deserve to just be museums, they need to live, they need to be used," Dikeman said.
This historic landmark will be restored and transformed into a wedding and event venue.
"They need to be used, that's what these buildings were for, and putting them back into a condition and bringing them a life that allows them to serve another hundred years, that's the goal here," he said.
15ABC spoke with the Mayor of Calvert, and the two neighbors behind this entire operation — they hope this restoration brings improvement.
"If we can get some of these older structures redone, I really think that just the overall character of the town will be so much improved," said Mayor of Calvert, Layla Wright.
History —
"Unlike a lot of towns that modernized in the late 60's, early 70's, Calvert has just really maintained a lot of its facades," said business owner, Brenda Van De Walle.
— and inspiration.
"We're really hoping that all of this just inspires people to see what they can do," Wright said.
"We're really excited about offering this as an opportunity to have a wedding here, and then the reception on main street," Van De Walle said.
The mayor tells 15ABC she's looking to make improvements to get Calvert back to its prime condition, while holding on to the history behind the town.
"All over the entire community, there's older homes, there's buildings, historic Metzger buildings, this church, several other churches that were built over 100 years ago, and you just hate to lose that history," she said.
