The church Teddy Roosevelt regularly attended during his time in Washington, D.C., as vice president and president is set to close at the end of the month, The Washington Post reported on Sunday.
The congregation is leaving the historic 116-year-old Grace Reformed Church because the owner of the building is likely to sell it.
It remains unclear when exactly the owner is selling, or if the building will stay a place of worship afterwards, but the departing congregation’s Rev. Brian Lee held a special Christmas farewell service Sunday, telling the Post “it’s a loss to the city, and to our architecture, and to our community fabric to lose . . . well, any place of worship, but in particular this one.”
Even though the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991, that status does not prevent an owner from doing what it wants with the property, according to the Post. Terry Lynch, an advocate with the Downtown Cluster of Congregations, said its sale was inevitable due to changes affecting all churches in the area - such as gentrification, changing demographics and a much less religious younger generation.
Construction of the church as it stands today started in 1902, with then Vice President Roosevelt laying the cornerstone and giving an address at its dedication.
According to a pamphlet from the 100th anniversary of the church’s founding, Roosevelt was a regular attendant during his administration, even sending the pastor a note explaining why he could not attend when he missed the morning service.
During the era when Roosevelt attended, the congregation numbered about 300, which went up to as many as 550 at its peak in the 1950s. Lee’s departing congregation has about 40 members.
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