PLATTEVILLE, March 11 — Efforts are in progress to envision new potential future uses for a 156-year-old building First Congregational United Church of Christ Platteville has long maintained, according to local UCC leaders.
The goal is to find at least one partner who can purchase it and use it in ways that suit community wants and needs, while ideally maintaining space to also continue holding religious services there, according to Kathy Schmidt, of UCC’s leadership team.
UCC Platteville recently invited members of the public to participate in a dreaming session to brainstorm ideas on how the space could be converted into a “hub” of activity in the future, said UCC Platteville Pastor Lex Liberatore.
And the approximately hour-long snack- and sparkling juice-fueled meeting of the minds didn’t disappoint, Schmidt noted.
Around 50 people attended to join the conversation.
“We asked them to kind of close their eyes and say to themselves, I wonder if this place could be used for X, Y, Z,” and to imagine what the building could look like redesigned — potentially without the pews and other removable religious items currently in it, said Schmidt.
Attendees presented a wide range of ideas: From hosting yoga and/or line dancing, to serving as a venue for childcare, to offering a new spot for performances and events like concerts, community/dinner theatre, community meals and more, said Schmidt and Liberatore.
Bringing in individuals and organizations to help write the next chapter for the historic locale will be important, as the property “takes a lot to maintain, and we’re wondering how much longer we can do that into the future by ourselves without some partners,” said Schmidt.
“Like a lot of church communities, we are experiencing dropping membership … and our membership is aging, as well,” she noted, which initially led them to begin searching for potential new building owners. “Our goal would be to continue to hold our worship services there … [but] we would in essence become a tenant, in a way.”
“If it works in the direction that we’re hoping for, the church would be one of many users [of the building] and a partner in whatever ultimately is created … a renter in the space,” added Liberatore.
Whether that will be a possibility “remains to be seen,” said Schmidt. “We’re still early on in the process.”
Now that they have a list of preliminary concepts for possible future uses compiled, next steps will anticipatedly include engaging with area “movers and shakers and funders,” said Schmidt.
The hope is to create a more formal proposal to present to the congregation this spring for a vote — to allow UCC Platteville to chart a path forward, said Liberatore.
They have high hopes, especially considering that “the bones of the building are good,” said Liberatore.
Schmidt said the church is also “well-positioned, right by City Park.”
It also offers kitchen facilities and mini splits for climate control, Liberatore added.
As discussions on what’s next for the space continue ahead, “We’re looking for a way to let the building live and let that legacy live as however the community decides it needs to — moving that legacy forward into the future,” said Schmidt.
Simultaneously, the congregation is continuing its activities focused on music, education and social action, as well as religion. Their initiatives take place not only in the church itself, but also at off-site locations, like Badger Bros. Coffee, where members hold monthly ‘poetry slam’ events, said Schmidt.
“The building is not really who we are,” so regardless of what the years to come have in store for the property, the UCC Platteville religious community and its efforts will continue, she noted.
