Renovating Our House, Preserving a Landmark

St. John's has embarked on a campaign to restore and renovate its buildings and to renew its ministry in Jamaica Plain. Since 1882 St. John's has stood at the corner of Revere Street and Roanoke Avenue; our green lawn and puddingstone buildings have long provided space for those in search of community fellowship as well as meditative stillness. St. John's buildings and grounds - and its community of faith - have provided generations of Jamaica Plain residents a setting that embodies both constancy and change.

Preservation and Restoration of a Neighborhood Sanctuary

The buildings and grounds of St. John's Church that have served the parish and Jamaica Plain well for many years are now in critical need of repair. Structural flaws--without correction--could lead to the destruction of this Jamaica Plain landmark. The parish leadership of St. John's has made the preservation and restoration of this neighborhood sanctuary one of its highest priorities.

At the dawn of the new century, St. John's committed itself and completed major exterior renovations. This work consisted of roof repair, underground drainage, and landscaping that included the creation of gathering space suitable for informal gatherings as well as services. This was accomplished with $100,000 from the parish endowment which was combined with external grants from the Henderson Foundation and The Massachusetts Historical Society that totaled nearly $200,000.

In 2008, we completed Phase II of our capital project which included the renovation of the church basement to create a space for a bi-lingual Spanish-English pre-school as well as our parish children's programs and meeting spaces for community groups. The total cost of this project was close to $600,000, all of which was given by members of the congregation, friends and neighbors in the Jamaica Plain community and by further drawing down our unrestricted endowment.

Now we are starting in on the next phase of renovations, which will address critical needs for repair and restoration of the exterior physical structure of the Sanctuary, the Tower and the Parish Hall. A building conditions survey done at the end of 2010 helped to prioritize issues with stonework and mortar, in addition to doorways and stained glass windows. We are hoping to raise $650,000 to allow work to begin on the top priority structural concerns, then a further $650,000 for slightly less pressing needs.