Local Church Considers Property Lease

St. Paul's Church, located east of Adams House, is considering leasing some of its valuable Mt. Auburn St. property in order to help finance a major renovation of its facilities.

The Catholic church, the parish of many Harvard students, has spoken with several different developers aboul leasing the land on the corner of DeWolfe and Mt. Auburn streets adjacent to the Boston Choir School, said Father John Maclnnis.

The property, which is now a small parking lot, is worth at least $2 million, said Maclnnis.

Although the church has not decided on the type of development the parking lot will undergo, it has been seeking opinions from both its congregation and local community, Maclnnis said.

"We have no definite timetable. We first need to get concrete proposals from developers before our building committee can start working with an architect," Maclinnis said.

"Major Impact"

Because the area is mostly residential, any development on the church property would have a major impact on the local community, said Marilyn Z. Wellons, a neighborhood activist.

Propoerty across the street from the church is dangerously susceptible to commercial development, according to a 1984 report by the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

The Catholic church which owns the adjacent Harvard Catholic Student Center and Boston Choir School, wants to raise between $2 and $5 million dollars to rebuild and expand the student center, church offices, and the school, said Maclnnis.

All three structures are located at the corner of Bow and Mt. Auburn streets.

89-Years-Old

The Choir School, which dates from 1898, needs rehabilitation, and the Catholic Student Center is currently too small to meet our needs," said Father John Boles.

The Church has been considering building changes for the past three years, especially since the Harvard Catholic Student Association has been growing, waid Maclnnis.

A committee of about 50 people--including undergraduates, parish members from the local community, and representatives from the Choir School--is overseeing the project.

A student subcommittee is currently discussing student ideas about the development, said committee head John D. Simbeek '87.

"We're trying to get the best ideas for how to satisfy the student center's need for more space," said Simbeek.

The center will hold a meeting for undergraduates about the church's plans for development on April 14.

An open forum for community members about plans for church development and reconstruction is scheduled for April 16.