…….The First Lutheran Church on Ne 3rd Avenue is very historic for Fort Lauderdale.
No one disputes this, though the City Commission deferred giving the 100 plus year old church historic designation at a hearing last month . They are awaiting their May 2 meeting to see what the buyer ( developer) wants to do on the site until they act. …….
…..In the meantime, some activists for historic designation for the church say untoward things are happening at the church. They point to a ruling by the CC last month where the owners of the property were told NOT to touch the church until May 2, but the activists say things are happening at the church, not good things……
They held this vigil last night, and pointed out damage occurring there….
……. this is an empty spot on the wall where …..
….. this brass corner stone plaque was last month ….. They say the air conditioners have been ripped out of the wall, the stain glass windows are all gone, and copper piping is disappearing….
….. Come on May 2 !
Please write and call the Mayor and Commissioners as soon as possible regarding your views on this matter. Don’t wait till May 2, it will be a long meeting and they need to know public sentiment ahead of time. How sad that Dean is AGAINST Historic Designation on this building. He is not representing the voice of the people in his district, who have been voting FOR the Designation, repeatedly. Dean has his own views on what Flagler Village should look like with it’s walls of condos in the near future. He has said this building is “ugly” and will “stick out like a sore thumb”. This unique Romanesque style architecture appears nowhere else in our region. This building will not remain derelict if the proper persons are put in charge. The Lutheran Church has vacated and moved to another building. This building does NOT need to be destroyed, it should be kept for the current and upcoming swell of new residents moving into the area. What better appeal to a downtown neighborhood than having a quaint, walkable urban church with a history to it? There was a paying tenant, CityChurch, who was evicted. CityChurch made an offer and had been renting and growing for the past 8 years, serving the community with the basics of life, such as funerals when that unexpected death comes from our dangerous roadways and high fatality rates on the streets. There was also an offer APPROVED by the congregation by a local developer who would have kept the sanctuary standing and built apartments on the property next to it. The letter of intent for that deal was made by Dean Trantalis who was hired to write the LOI. Sad to say that deal got SABOTAGED when word got out about how valuable the land had become. With the Lutheran Church in a national trend of downward spiral, those in power decided to cash out and neglect the next generation of Christians, whether they be “Lutherans” or not. They turned their back on the rich and generous heritage of this very building, which was sold to them for ONE DOLLAR by the first Catholic Church, St. Anthony. This facade was moved BRICK BY BRICK down the street and rebuilt on this location. An incredible tale of “love your neighbor” that most people don’t even know exists in our History. Now you know. Please help Preserve what little remains of our architectural history, and get involved to help make the right thing happen for our future. Support making this building a Historical Landmark.