Historic Morrisville Church Gets a Lift

March 29, 2010 | Story by: Hal Goodtree | Categories: News

Morrisville, NC – As growth has crept over the Triangle like kudzu for the last 30 years, far too many historic buildings have been destroyed. That’s why it’s good to see a major restoration project underway in Morrisville.

Historic Church Gets a Facelift

The project in question is the renovation of the circa 1900 Christian church on Church St. According to the Town of Morrisville website, it was used as a church until 1976 when the congregation disbanded.

The old building served as Morrisville’s first Town Hall, then as the Chamber of Commerce.

Years of vacancy have left the church with deteriorated wood, foundation and roof problems. The town has contracted to fix the foundation, repair and replace the deteriorated wood, install a new roof system and new restrooms, upgrade the electrical wiring, plumbing and HVAC, install new insulation and restore the church to its rightful place as one of Morrisville’s premiere historic properties. – Town of Morrisville

Right now, the building is up on some I-beams. Morrisville Mayor Jackie Holcombe told CaryCitizen that the building is up in the air to accommodate repair to the foundation. It will be put down in the same location.

Work began in January and is expected to be complete by September. The project is budgeted at $290,000.

Soon to Be a National Historic Place

Morrisville contracted with an architect and an engineer who have expertise in the official Standards for Historic Preservation. These help ensure appropriate restoration with National Register status in mind.

Once the project is complete, the Town plans to submit an application for the structure to be listed on the National Historic Register.

After that, the Town can initiate an application for Wake County historic landmark status. If granted, the old church would be the first recognized landmark in Morrisville.