Endangered Worcester church under sale agreement
Grant Welker
The former Notre Dame des Candiens Church is surrounded by Mercantile Center, in the rear, and the AC Hotel being built at right.
Grant Welker
The former Notre Dame des Candiens Church as seen from Worcester Common.
The former Notre Dame des Canadiens Church may have a new owner that could save it from a wrecking ball.
The long-vacant church just off the east end of Worcester Common is under agreement to be sold by CitySquare II, the developer that played a large role in the rebirth of much of the former Worcester Galleria mall site. The developer did not identify the buyer, and cautioned that "not all agreements result in definitive sales."
CitySquare has been working with Preservation Worcester, a group that's fighting to save the church from being demolished. A demolition delay meant to help find uses for the building expires in April, according to the group, which is urging someone to make the church part of a revamped downtown instead of letting it fall prey to redevelopment.
Preservation Worcester has pointed to other churches that have found new uses around the country, and says that Notre Dame des Canadiens would qualify for historic tax credits to help pay for a renovation.
"With a well-chosen and imaginative new use, this landmark building can become an important catalyst in the current effort to revitalize downtown Worcester," Preservation Worcester says on its website. "The combination of Notre Dame’s soaring and graceful architecture with a well-planned and exciting new use is capable of creating a magnetic public attraction and becoming an economic and tourism generator much greater than anything that could be offered by new construction on this site."
It still isn't clear whether the church can be saved, however.
CitySquare bought the church in 2010 with plans to reuse the church "if it were economically feasible," it said in an announcement of the new sale agreement.
"After more than six years of active effort on our part, in addition to the prior efforts by the Diocese, City Square II has made the realistic and most economically feasible choice to sell the property," the developer said.
The church, which was built in 1929, was closed by the Diocese of Worcester in 2008.
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