By Eric Curl
April 25, 2024 – A Savannah-based development group recently purchased the former Asbury United Methodist Church with plans to renovate the historic building for use as a restaurant.
The recently formed 1201 Abercorn LLC purchased the late-19th-century building at 1201 Abercorn St. on April 18 for $1.35 million, according to sales records. Co-owner Brent Watts said Wednesday that he and his partners, Patrick Johnston, Beau Hinton and Brad Baugh, intend to lease the space to a proven local chef who plans to open a restaurant focused on local sustainable seafood.
“It will be a very approachable restaurant where you could go on a budget and have a really cool experience, or you could also blow it out with a multiple course dinner,” Watts said.
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The plan is scheduled to go before the Metropolitan Planning Commission on April 30, when the advisory board will consider the owners’ petition to rezone the site at Abercorn and Duffy streets from Traditional Neighborhood to Traditional Commercial. In addition, the MPC will consider the group’s application for a special-use permit to allow alcohol sales at the restaurant. (May 2 update: The MPC recommended approval of the peititions, which will next have to the Savannah City Council for finial approval.)
“The space is so exciting because it has so much historic detail and soaring ceilings,” Watts said. “The rehabilitation will be minimally invasive, will showcase the buildings character, and will be in compliance with the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service guidelines as we will be using historic tax credits.”
The building’s renovation will also likely have to go before the Historic Preservation Commission, at least for staff approval, which co-owner Johnston said will likely be at the June 26 meeting if the plans are completed in time.
The sale comes after the church held the last worship service at the location on January 21, according to a Facebook post.
The church had previously announced plans in 2020 to renovate the building after the structure was named as one of 10 “Places in Peril” for 2019 by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in November 2019, as reported by the Savannah Morning News. Currently, the building’s main sanctuary space is in decent shape, but the building is in “pretty rough” shape on the west, north and south sides due to water damage, Watts said. In addition, the windows will “need a lot of love” and the roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC will all need to be replaced, he said.
While the original building dates to 1887, much of it had to be rebuilt after a hurricane in 1896, and a brick facade and additions were added, according to the Georgia Trust. Asbury started using the building in 1927 and had stood as the only African American United Methodist church in the historic Victorian District, the Georgia Trust further reports.
Asbury is now holding services at a temporary location at at 10710 White Bluff Road, the education building at White Bluff Presbyterian.
The decision to sell the church’s properties was an extremely difficult and emotionally taxing decision that came after decades of discussions about whether they could afford the increasingly high cost of maintaining the building and continue to be a vital congregation, according to Pastor Precious Hawkins
The Asbury congregation knew the building was in dire need of repair, however, it was not until after they had a needs assessment performed did they learn full extent and true cost, Hawkins said via an emailed statement Wednesday.
Overall, monies raised toward renovating and preserving the building equated to less than 1% of the estimated $4 million that would be needed to complete the repairs, Hawkins said.
Hawkins said that the temporary location is definitely different from the worship space they are accustomed to, but “God is still blessing” after White Bluff Presbyterian graciously provided their space. Average worship attendance has increased, now that they are in an ADA-compliant space, and they have been able to to get back to outreach and mission ministries since they are no longer encumbered by the financial strain of the church building, Hawkins said.
“As of now Asbury is praying and looking for a new place to call home,” she said. “We are trusting that God will provide a new location.”
When Asbury does find a new permanent location, they will be able to take a bit of their former church with them after working with Aurora Stained Glass to remove and preserve the church’s stained glass windows, along with some of the church’s pews, Hawkins said..
Editor’s note: This article was updated on May 2 to include the comments and information provided by Asbury Pastor Pastor Precious Hawkins.
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