On Wednesday, Dec. 1, Wesleyan and the Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church signed a contract for eight acres of Wesleyan property in exchange for the church’s 160 Cross St. location. The Wesleyan property that will go to A.M.E. Church is located at the intersections of Wadsworth and West Streets, part of the Long Lane property that the University recently acquired.
The Cross Street A.M.E. Zion Church was founded in the 1820s and currently has 350 families in its congregation.
The Zion Church has plans to build a new facility on the acquired property. This new facility is planned to be approximately 30,000 sq. feet, approximately five times the size of the current building. According to a Wesleyan press release, this new property will offer adequate space for parking, banquets, classrooms and to hold its youth ministry. The church has successfully completed its Jubilee Gifts Campaign to raise the $1 million dollars for the construction of the new church.
Once the construction of the new church has been finished, the congregation will turn the Cross Street property over to the University. The press release states that the University has plans to convert the Cross street property into an archeological museum and classroom space. The final turnover is expected to happen within 12 to 18 months.
“[The property] is really pristine, beautiful…we are very, very pleased,” said Dave Cooper, a member of the church’s expansion committee. “We feel it is a fair deal…all parties must feel it is a win-win. They were not as adversarial as one might guess. We feel quite comfortable with the 8 acre’s value.”
Cooper also stressed that the results of a study showed the construction of the new church would not present any danger to the environment.
Wesleyan students are welcome at any time to attend services.
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