Demolition Proposed For West Harwich Baptist Church

 HARWICH – Davenport Realty Trust, the sole bidder on the purchase of the West Harwich Baptist Church, is proposing to demolish the building and replace it with a structure that replicates the historical exterior features.  

 Davenport is planning to build between 10 and 13 market-rate rental units in the 4,136-square-foot structure, with unit sizes ranging from 600 to 800 square feet. The present church structure was built in the 1880s, but Baptists have been active in West Harwich since before the Revolutionary War.

 There may be no other option to demolition, given the condition of the building, according to West Harwich resident J. Duncan Berry, one of the founders of  Captains’ Row, an initiative to preserve the historic character of the village.

“What may be done after a demolition should live up to the build quality that I see being executed at the abutting West Harwich School House,” Berry wrote in an email. “I do not think it unreasonable to request of the applicant [the] absolute best efforts to reconstruct the fabric of…the existing and original church in all its tectonic splendor.”  

He called for respecting the existing structure and salvaging what can be saved. The replacement should not be “merely a carnival or Disney-like artifact, but a sound and serious effort to replace a monument with another worthy monument that serves our community with the dignity and durability as we have enjoyed from the original,”  wrote Berry, who is vice president of the Harwich Historical Society. 

The notice of intent filed by Davenport Realty Trust with the historic district and historical commission describes plans to demolish the entire structure, including the clock tower and steeple. The application claims the building is structurally unsound, unsafe, and a public safety hazard, adding that framing joists have failed. 

 A limited existing structural conditions report was conducted on the building last February by Coastal Engineering Co. The primary focus of the assessment and report was the condition of the main roof structure after reports that the ceiling had failed and fallen on the pews below. According to the report, the building has been unoccupied since 2020 and has had little to no maintenance.

 The failure of the ceiling appeared to cause some damage to the attic support members by excessive loading from saturated insulation, the report reads. It is also possible that since the ceiling fell directly on the first floor that the framing in that area could have become overloaded or been deflected and failed. The report also cites the presence of insects that could indicate significant damage throughout the building structure.

 “There are many unknowns regarding the condition of members that could not be visually verified during the site investigation,” according to the report.  Except for the ceiling above the nave, much of the finishes are still present throughout the building, which could be concealing other structural problems. The level of repairs and upgrades necessary to create a functioning building “may result in essentially a rebuilding of the structure,” the report concludes.

Davenport expressed a desire to acquire the property directly from the church, but when issues clouding the title arose, the company began conversations about a public-private partnership that would clear the title. The town stepped in to assist through the use of eminent domain, which would eliminate any title problems.

Davenport Realty Trust bid $300,000 for the 1.62-acre property, which includes the West Harwich Baptist Cemetery. First Baptist Church of West Harwich and Dennisport has agreed to sell the property and approved a document allowing the development company to move forward with permitting. 

According to the purchase and sales agreement, upon issuance of a certificate of occupancy, Davenport will convey to the town for a nominal consideration 41,139 square feet of land that includes the cemetery. That will leave 29,227 square feet for the former church building. Should gravesites located in the project construction zone need to be exhumed and relocated, the cost would be negotiated between the town and the developer.

The history of Baptist religion is important to the village, according to Berry, who forwarded a chapter of a forthcoming book to the historic district and historical commission that focuses on the history and significance of the structure and touches on vital matters of religious, political, economic, and cultural achievements that took place here and impacted not only the town, but regional and national life from its dedication in 1757 down through the mid-20th century. 

“No other church in Harwich, indeed in Barnstable County, has so storied a history and so many illustrious parishioners,” Berry wrote in an email, “from heroes who fought in the Revolution and died crossing the Delaware with George Washington to a man who married one of the minister’s daughters who held nearly a hundred patents on binnacle compasses and was the second largest manufacturer of said instruments in the nation, to say nothing of half a dozen generations of the Chase family.” 

The historic district and historical commission will hear the demolition application on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at 6 p.m. in the town hall hearing room.

The commission will also hear a notice of intent Dec. 18 to relocate the former parsonage at 52 Route 28, across Depot Street from the Baptist Church. The building is owned by John Carey, the developer converting the West Harwich School property into 10 apartments.

The house, known as the Captain George Winchell Baker homestead, was built circa 1870. The house has fallen into a derelict condition in recent years and has been unoccupied. According to Carey’s application, the plan calls for re-use of the building as a two-family residence. It would be gutted and renovated with a new foundation. The rear addition, garage and porch would be removed.