Historic Minneapolis church steeple restored but needs to plug funding gap

MINNEAPOLIS — Calvary Baptist Church has been a Minneapolis mainstay for 141 years. But the more than century-old structure needed a facelift to keep it going.

Over many years, church staff worked to make that happen, renovating the house of worship room by room, piece by piece. Today, it's also home to a pre-school, commercial kitchen for small businesses, and office space for therapists. 

But until this summer, the most daunting task was left untouched: Restoring the church steeple towering above—the tallest in the neighborhood. 

Thanks to a $200,000 grant, the church kick-started a fundraising campaign to make that happen. The congregation and community generously donated $800,000 over the last year, said church administrator Dean-Caldwell-Tautges, but the restoration work was more extensive than originally thought.

While the construction is complete, the church is $25,000 short. 

"The community has responded in an amazing way. Obviously, the congregation has given a lot, but so have friends, neighbors, partners, total strangers have given when they heard about it because they were attached to something that happened here 50-60 years ago, or maybe just attached to Minneapolis in general, and wanted to see the historic building restored," Caldwell-Tautges said. 

In the spirit of giving this holiday season, they are hoping donors will step up once again to preserve a historical landmark that's been an essential thread in the fabric of the neighborhood.

Caldwell-Tautges believes the community will answer the call because they have before. He thinks that's a testament to the church's impact. 

"The vision is that this is a place for everybody, even if you don't come on Sunday," he said."It's a place that you think is important to your neighborhood and your community, and so you give towards the restoration so that we can continue to share the space."

Next month, the church will formally light up the steeple during their Christmas concert and market. Staff also hope to secure an additional $200,000 for additional restoration projects on the property.