1872
With help from Mr. Alexander Sprunt, property is purchased at the corner of North 4th and Campbell streets.
Brooklyn Arts Center History
October 1888
Ground is broken and construction begins on the new church. Fifteen days later, the corner stone is laid. Adolphus Gustavus Bauer (A.G. Bauer) is selected as the architect and contractor of St. Andrew’s.
June 1889
Reverend Alexander Sprunt gives the dedication sermon.
1891
Church membership skyrockets upon completion of the new church and the arrival of Reverend McClure. St. Andrew’s becomes a spiritual beacon for the surrounding neighborhood, creating many organizations aimed at helping the community’s less fortunate.
1906
A new pipe organ, hand-built by Henry Pilcher of Louisville, Kentucky, is installed across the east wall of the sanctuary. The Andrew Carnegie Foundation and Wilmington businessman Thomas B. Bagley donate the organ to St. Andrew’s. The organ remains a contributing factor to the sanctuary’s beauty until 1976, when it is moved to Westminster Presbyterian Church.
1910
The Fourth Street church grows when additions to the Sunday School behind the sanctuary ware completed. The Memorial Hall Annex, as it is called, is donated by William H. Sprunt.
1944
Coupled with the mounting repair costs for the church, St. Andrew’s congregation merges with The Church of the Covenant and becomes St. Andrew’s-Covenant Presbyterian Church located on 15th and Market streets.
1952-1953
After St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is sold to The First Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1944, the Pentecostals fail to make any of the agreed-upon payments to St. Andrew’s-Covenant. The slate roof is in need of significant repair and the church requires electrical and fire-safety systems. With these construction items open-ended, The First Pentecostal Holiness Church starts a building fund and places the property up for sale.
1957-1962
The First Pentecostal Holiness Church moves out of St. Andrew’s, but a group of 27 members elects to stay, claiming “God would not have them to discard all time efforts and obligations on the church property.” This remaining group renames the church: Fourth Street Pentecostal Church. Reverend Glenn Bailey oversees the departure of the last members of the Fourth Street Pentecostal Church and supervises the move into their new home at the corner of Wrightsville and Macmillan Streets. Under the leadership of Rev. Dr. James Forbes, The Holy Trinity congregation buys the St. Andrew’s property.
1965-1972
Church members still struggle to manage the deteriorating condition of the building. After seven years and two pastors, the city of Wilmington lists the property at the corner of Fourth and Campbell streets as vacant. Holy Trinity and its followers are still worshiping on the property but not in the sanctuary. Because of extensive roof damage, the members retreat into the Annex behind the church.
1981
The church hires a contractor, who offers to do the job at a discount. His hiring proves to be a costly mistake. The original slate roof is taken off all at once. Without the funds to build a completely new roof, only small sections can be replaced. This leaves a large hole in the roof, exposing the sanctuary to the elements. The contractor finally files for bankruptcy.
June 1995
Plans to rebuild are put on hold. During a severe thunderstorm, lightning strikes St. Andrew’s, gashing one of the brick walls. A windstorm several days later turns the gash into a large hole that reaches the roof. Due to the increasingly poor conditions, city officials deem the structure unsound.
1996
Hurricanes Bertha and Fran blow in the front wall of the church, causing the roof to completely cave-in. W. Douglas Foster, a businessman from Charlotte, NC, offers to put up the funds to stabilize the walls and roof so the building will at the least meet the city’s code requirements. His offer requires the city to use the funds slated for demolition to help with renovation of St. Andrew’s, and the city agrees. Two days after Foster’s donation, the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church is put on the National Register of Historic Places.
1997
Holy Trinity’s ownership of the church ends after 35 years of occupancy when Foster buys out the congregation. Foster’s donated funds help save St. Andrew’s from destruction and give local organization’s new hope in converting the church into an arts center the community can be proud of.
1998
The city council votes to use the CDBG (Community Development Block Grant Program) funds to repay Foster and purchase the church using the CDBG funds. As a result, protective covenants are placed on the structure to protect the landmark from future demolition.
2001
Days after the exterior supports—used to hold up the walls of the church for two years until replaced by a steel superstructure—are taken down, the city has five proposals from various groups interested in buying St. Andrew’s. Three of the groups want to convert the church into a low-income housing development.
2002
The city selects Dave Nathans and Gene Merritt’s proposal to rehabilitate St. Andrew’s. The deal includes not just the church, but both the adjacent Manse and firehouse across Campbell Street. Nathans and Merritt hoped to turn the church into a nonprofit, multi-purpose arts and entertainment facility. They want to publicly raise the money to renovate the building.
2003
Nathans takes his place as the project lead, as Merritt decides to step down and act as chair of a board of directors that will help Nathans oversee the renovation.
2008
Nathans is forced to tell the city that he is unable to publicly raise the money, and he withdraws from the project. The city allows several former board members to take over the building. This group also disbands when it is unable to raise public funds money and appeals to the city to sell the building for the formation of a new arts council. The city agrees, and St. Andrew’s is put on the market.
2009-2010
With offices in the church manse next door, Nathans makes an offer to the city to purchase the property through private financing. The city agrees, and Nathans sets out to create the Brooklyn Arts Center at St. Andrew’s.
March 25, 2011
After two years of renovation to complete the church’s transformation, the Brooklyn Arts Center is granted its certificate of occupancy.
April 2, 2011
With Richard Leder as its executive director and Arty Seabury as its facilities manager, the BAC hosts its first wedding.
September 2015
Renovations begin in the Annex, opening exactly one year later in September 2016 as the BAC’s second venue.
September 2018
Ownership of the Brooklyn Arts Center is transferred to Jason and Tara Tatum.
