The First Church of Christ, Scientist to be Demolished and Rebuilt in Winter Park, Florida

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, located at 650 N. New York Ave., is set to be demolished and rebuilt on the same property. The redevelopment project, led by Condev Land LLC, involves constructing eight three-story, two-unit duplexes on 1.43 acres of the property. The remaining 0.95 acres will accommodate a new church building.

The decision to redevelop stems from the church’s two-year effort to consolidate its facilities. Currently, the church’s main building, nursery, offices, and Sunday school are spread across separate structures. A new centralized building is intended to bring all functions together, enhancing operational efficiency and community engagement.

Steven Wennerstrom, chairman of the church’s executive board, expressed gratitude for the opportunity to better serve the church’s needs and contribute to Winter Park’s central business district. “Our church has a long history in the community, and we plan to be here for a long time to come,” he stated.

Barbara Leigh, a church member and volunteer, emphasized the project’s benefits, noting the existing building’s underutilized location facing the Winter Park Golf Course. “The whole motivation is to move forward and better serve the community and be more united in our church family by having a whole campus together,” she said. “The sale has gone through. It’s happening. It’s what’s best for everybody.”

Some churchgoers, however, have voiced concerns about the demolition. Bunny Simmerson, a congregant, argued that the existing church building, designed by James Gamble Rogers II, is a historical treasure, though it is not listed on the Winter Park Register of Historic Places. “It is wrong what they are doing,” she said at a planning meeting. “They are destroying a wonderful structure, and they want to put a little box up there facing the railroad. I personally don’t know why we’d build a box of a church. They want the money. The greed has kicked in.”

Leigh noted that the majority of the congregation supports the project, citing improved energy efficiency and unified services as key benefits. The original church building, constructed in 1958, has operated a public reading room along Park Avenue since the mid-1960s, making it one of the oldest tenants in Winter Park’s downtown area.

Services will temporarily relocate to Orange Technical College starting in December. The new church building is expected to break ground in the summer of next year and be completed by 2019. The Planning and Zoning Board has approved the redevelopment project and zoning changes.

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