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Phillips Temple nears apartment conversion

James Briggs
james.briggs@indystar.com
The former Phillips Temple CME Church.

An Indianapolis historic building that spent years on the brink of demolition is now weeks away from being converted into apartments.

Van Rooy Properties is stabilizing the dilapidated Phillips Temple building at 1226 Martin Luther King Jr. St. and hopes to start work within two months on a $3.5 million project that will turn it into two-story lofts. The developer also plans to construct another apartment building on an adjacent lot, creating a 40-unit complex.

Van Rooy will seek zoning approval for the project Wednesday during the Metropolitan Development Commission's meeting.

Indianapolis Public Schools, the building's former owner, had sought permission to demolish the Phillips Temple building right up until Van Rooy acquired it in August for $122,500. Although Van Rooy knew the former church building was in bad condition, Rus Seiler, the firm's vice president of development, said he didn't know the extent of the building's neglect. The roof had gaping holes and some of the walls were barely standing, Seiler said.

"From an original structure standpoint, it was an amazing engineering design, but because all the water that's come through that building, we had to replace a lot of the structure elements of the roof and the walls of the church," Seiler said. "It's been a long time coming for someone to come in and stabilize it."

The Phillips Temple building was constructed in 1924 and served as the home of Phillips Temple CME Church until the congregation moved during the 1990s. Indianapolis Public Schools bought the building in 2011. The school system wanted to demolish it and use the site as a parking lot.

"In some cases, it's amazing select walls were still standing and that the roof hadn't leaked more," Seiler said. "I think it's dramatically gotten worse over the last five years."

Mark Dollase, the vice president of preservation services for Indiana Landmarks, said he would have preferred to see the building used as a church, but he's glad it won't be destroyed. Indiana Landmarks had opposed the school system's efforts to demolish the building.

"When you weigh the building's possible loss by a demolition with an active reuse that will put the building on the tax rolls for the first time ever, I think that's a good thing," Dollase said.

At a time when thousands of apartments are being planned and built in Indianapolis, Seiler said the historic features of the Phillips Temple building will set Van Rooy's project apart.

"The church building in and of itself is pretty unique," he said. "We've received interest from people wanting to live there. I think they find the building fascinating from the outside."

The church building will include 19,000 square feet of apartments.

"It will be two stories that incorporate large church windows into the units. That's not going to be typical," Seiler said.

The second apartment building will add 23,000 square feet of apartments. It will look more modern, yet relate to the Phillips Temple building, Seiler said.

"We've tried to mimic what we have at the church as best we can, but it will be a more typical apartment structure," he said.