Former Catholic Church With ‘Endless Possibilities’ Ready for a Conversion in Ohio

Hopefully the third time on the market will be the charm for a former church building in Lorain, OH.

The 20,250-square-foot building that once housed St. Joseph’s Church is listed for $779,900.

The current owner bought the place in December 2021 for $100,000, then had it rezoned and submitted plans for development in 2022.

According to published reports about the city meetings, construction was estimated to cost about $1.2 million and be completed by 2025. The plan at the time was to keep as much for the original parts of the church as possible, including the windows and wood floors.

Construction is already underway to convert the historic building into several apartments.

Plans for the property

There are three floors with the lowest level being storage, then classrooms, then the sanctuary with high ceilings and several stained-glass windows.

The listing says the plans are for four to eight apartments across “19,000 square feet of space on three levels with 4 apartments on the first level alone.”

In the reimagined space, the lower level offers a large storage area for each apartment and a possible gym and workout room, according to the listing, which also notes that “the property can still be customized for finishing as apartments and or office/apartments.”

The church sits on .65 acres and includes a large parking lot for 100 cars. According to the listing, “Endless income possibilities exist for this historical church right off Broadway’s commercial district.”

In addition, the seller will assist “in submitting final plans to the city for approval of one’s customized plans for use.”

The listing adds, “Bring your own contractor and architect if you wish and work with the owner to receive city approvals.”

The property was listed earlier this year for $899,999, but that listing was removed just before the new listing went live with the current price.

Storied structure

The house of worship was the first Catholic church in Lorain and held its first service in 1896. The congregation was traditionally German and celebrated its centennial in 1996.

Membership began to dwindle and, in March 2009, it was one of 29 parishes that the Diocese of Cleveland planned to close by July of 2010 as part of a huge downsizing plan.

According to public records, the current owner is an entity called SWIPE USA, which has ties to a real estate developer, according to reports.

The diocese sold the property to a previous owner in February 2020 for $45,000. Published reports say that owner wanted to turn it into a music and arts consortium, but the Covid-19 pandemic derailed those plans.