The Holy Communion of Churches says it is moving the national headquarters of the orthodox community from a historic building in Springfield to the state of Maryland. The move is a reflection of the economic sign of the times.
The Holy Communion of Churches is a so-called Western Right Orthodox community with 41/2 million members worldwide and about a thousand congregations in the U-S. Since 2007 it has based its national headquarters at the Basilica of the Holy Apostles, a nearly 80,000 square foot building that was formerly the Springfield Masonic Temple, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Archbishop Timothy Paul of the Archdiocese of New England says when the 87 year old building was bought in 2007, it was valued at more than $2.3 million.
“Today the same building, after putting in over a half-million dollars in renovations, is only worth $800,000. You can see the decline in the value of the property as well as whatever we put into this building; it’s in excess of what the value would be.”
Paul calls the decision to leave the building bittersweet but necessary, saying it needs another $2 million worth of repairs just to meet modern codes. He says the local 500-member congregation is currently holding worship services at another location until the church decides to build a new facility at one of two possible sites in Springfield under review. Paul says the church remains committed to the city and is working on other non-profit development projects, including the construction of a 98-bed Holiday Inn Express in the city's downtown. The Masonic Temple is scheduled to be auctioned off on Thursday.