2/13/2008 woodward talk article about ferndale's oldest church
TRANSCRIPT
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8/10/2019 2/13/2008 Woodward Talk Article about Ferndale's Oldest Church
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FdmwrI
ICl
11106
The Fern-
dale HIstor-
Ical
Society
is working
to
preserve
the Jeffries
Baptist
Church
located at
165
E.
Nine
Mile Road,
and
other
historical
buildings In
Ille
city.
Developer
says
it never
intended
to
demolish
Jeffries
aptist
By
jEREJoI SUWIOSKI
C j SrafflVrilPr
FERNDALE -
It
is
a
AAga
or 1ll;sc:ommuniCltion:
11>
.. [-em
JJJ
IlistOric.1
S o d ~ [ r is
fighting
\0 presenc The aldesr church in
,he northwest ooml'f ofNinc Mile
Road and
Bermuda
Strm.
don'r
W:1Il1
to
:l.
histQri
cal b.ndrn:l.rk
10r l1
down
and
rumcd into a parking
he s:lid.
However, Adam Wol(,oo,
S:lIcs
and dc-.'rlopmem dircclor for
True Lofl Living in Ferndale, is
confuse(l as 0
wh,' (he
FHS
would
anume
his
~ o m p n y
is
plJnning 10 destroy the church.
~ wanl to prescrvt the
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Group wants
t
preserve
city's-oldest church
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8/10/2019 2/13/2008 Woodward Talk Article about Ferndale's Oldest Church
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Church
from paCilA
~
mat
it
would
be
prc.o;ervcil,
but
we
have no p r o o f , ~
he
said. We
warn 0 5Cl' it in writing,
Formerly knowll
as
the Taber
nacle. the Jeffries Baptist
Church
was
buill in 1920
and
is Ferndale'.
oldesr dJurch. Prior
ro its
constmc
tion,
the
Ioc::ition housed the city's
polia and
fire ~ l l m e m 5 During
World %
f,
the
ch\ln;h ':IS
ll...M 2S
a for
women ro
carry
oU{ ROO
Cross c t i v i t i ~ .
According
[0 saac
Kumer.
an
uchifCCfural hismrian
who
has
worked
Of }
hisloriCl1
preservation
in
Michigan and K \ ~ r a l other nates,
the Jeffiies
&prist Church is
"one
of
the most imporcalll buildings in Fer
ndale. [t brings to mind Ihc great
churches of England and rhose of
l.he early AmaiCll\ c o l o n ~ . . . . The
goal should be
[ 0
preserve
it
;lIld
make
jf
fit
in ,h Ihc
more
modan
building>: surrounding it.
In
Lhcir endeavor \0 save Ihc
church. Andrews >aid. me
FHS
has
wrincn
numcrOlll
ICHers to True
Lo& Uving but has 00( Ruiwd
a response
from
them.
Why
havell'L
rhcsc
people
rome down
here
to (;Ilk
ro
wr
he ad:d.
13m Jc.:or,ling \0 \I;'olf>oo. his
romlX'ny Ius received only 0 0 lcnet
fmm the
FHS,
pmrnurked JJn. 29
-
several
U;LyS afler Ihc'FHS
lim
contacted membcrs of rhe media
about the church,
He 6:b frusrrJroo
rnat the FHS did nor m'lke an drort
to COlll;K1 rum first.
-In this dar and agt", where 1
recci\'\
10
v i ~ i f andfor phone calb a
week from
oq;arwmioJlS looking fOr
support
of
their
respective
auses.
ir
shocks me
l h a ~
I have: not
h:ld
but a
phone
G111,
e-mail or ;1 drop-in
face-Woface
encounter wi
III Mr.
Andrews or anyone else from Ihe
F H S ~
he said. KWc'd be, happy
ro
sit
down and talk with them,w
For
Wol&on,
the
FHS' matcgv
seems like
K
a
blar:anl m
..
OIg3inst
his company. The
actions
of
~ h e
FHS
appear as an altempt at
our
expcn,;c to
g:Jin
publici :)
and rele
vance by
wing
the
mr-dia to
m:Ute
an issue our of something
mat
quile
simply
w.l5n't
one and
isn'l
one. he
said.
HO\l'C\'er. Andrews firmly mu
ed thar the FHS' goals ..re only to
preservc the chun:h and other city
landmarks. We're talkin ,> ..
bout
valuable
historiC'll
bl,;ldin& -
WI:
don'r
want
to
make
this
a
biS
politi.
cal
~ u e w he
said.
[n addition,
he's hoping rhal
Ihe preselYation of the Jdtri , &p
tin Church
is
only Ihe first step
toward esrablishing 11
historical
com
misoion with rhe 1\'rlld,,1c
Ciry
Council.
The church is a cataJyst to
this
ntT the ground and
light
a fire
under (tll.'
~ o u n c i l ~ )
rtlI cnrb,
said.
Aoorc:ws belirvc'i tho:' formation
uf such ..
~ l l m i 5 S i o n
would bring
additional m' nue
ro
r1u:
ciry by giv
ing lhe FHS
rhe
oppommiry ro hOSl
rO\lIS and
s ~ l J souvenirs al
\':l.rioU'
h i ~ o r i a l l u c : J . i u n s in Ihe
city.
It
will allow (hese old build
i n ~
ru be
dc: