Martha Elson

@MarthaElson_cj

Graffiti painted on the doors and front walls of a historic church that's being renovated on South Fourth Street past Broadway has sparked outrage in the area.

Stephen Peterson, a member of the Louisville Historical League who lives nearby in the Limerick area, took photos of the graffiti when he discovered it Monday morning and called it "an outrageous act of vandalism."

Removing the graffiti, which is on the doors and limestone walls, also will be an added chore and expense for Immanuel church, which is carrying out an extensive renovation of the building – originally completed in 1911 by First Christian Church of Louisville – after acquiring the church last summer from Lampton Baptist Church in an unusual "swap" and sale for $700,000, according to county property valuation records.

The Rev. Ben Hedrick, Immanuel's executive pastor, said crews also found the graffiti on Monday and concluded it had appeared over the weekend. The vandalism occurred as the church plans hard hat tours of the building for church members and contributors Friday and Saturday.

The front of the church is blocked with a chain link fence to enhance safety, because the steps are not in good condition, Hedrick said, and he immediately checked to see if there were any gaps in the fence – which there weren't. He's consulting now with those working on the renovation about how to remove the graffiti in a way that's sensitive to the historic nature of the structure and to prevent such acts from recurring.

►MORE: Historic church's sale of pews stirs concerns

Renovation started several months ago, and the church hopes to move in by the end of 2017, he said. At that point, Lampton Baptist, which has been meeting in different locations, will move into the building Immanuel has been occupying at 1121 S. Clay St. at Oak Street, in the Shelby Park area.

Old Louisville resident Christopher T. White shared one of Peterson's photos of the graffiti on Facebook, also calling it "vandalism," prompting a number of comments, including one from Old Louisville/Belgravia Court leader Deborah Stewart. "I don't care how artful some may consider graffiti, I consider such application on a house of worship, not to mention private property, a desecration."

►MORE: Celebrating Immanuel Baptist Church's history

Red and black signs posted at the church building read: "Historic Rehabilitation of the First Christian Church" and "Future Home of Immanuel" and give the church's website: ibclouisville.org. Architects listed are Full Circle Architecture, Studio A Architectures and the engineering firm is Kerr-Greulich Engineers. The general contractor is A. L. Post Inc., and Joanne Weeter is the historic preservation consultant.

Debra Richards Harlan, a former city planner and Metro Landmarks Commission staff member, wrote on Facebook: "All of East Broadway is tagged. It's a mess."

Reporter Martha Elson can be reached at (502) 582-7061 and melson@courier-journal.com. Follow her on Twitter at @MarthaElson_cj.