Troy

The former St. Jean the Baptiste Roman Catholic church will be torn down and replaced with a $2.045 million office building, according to a proposal submitted to the city.

The church at 230 Second St., just south of Washington Park, was the parish for the city's French and French Canadian residents. It closed in the 1970s.

The development proposal is contingent upon the City Council approving the sale of the collapsing 149-year-old church to the Murphy Kennedy Group of New York City at its Sept. 7 meeting.

"The condition of the building has been deteriorating over the past 15 years," said Councilwoman Lynn Kopka, whose 5th District includes the church structure.

Kopka said it would be sad to see the historic building lost.

Local efforts have been made to find a way to save the building, but the structural issues are too difficult to overcome.

"If this is the only thing that makes sense, we're stuck with this solution," Kopka said.

The City Council gave preliminary approval to the sale at its Aug. 23 Finance Committee meeting.

The Murphy Kennedy Group submitted a proposal to buy the church on its 0.29-acre lot for $125,000. The city lists the full market value of the property at $80,000.

James Kennedy, CEO of the Murphy Kennedy Group, did not respond for a request for comment. The company lists extensive development projects on its website.

The firm proposes demolishing the church to build a new 3.5-floor mixed-use building of offices and retail. There will be 7,200 square feet of retail space on the first floor and 18,000 square feet of office space on the remaining 2.5 floors. There also will be 4,500 square feet of green space.

Materials from the razed church building will be used in the new structure.

The building will have the latest advances in green energy and thermal insulation, underground parking for 20 cars, Troy bike share stands and public green space, according to paperwork filed with the city.

The company estimates it would cost $145,000 to demolish the church and prepare the site; $1,700,000 for construction; and $200,000 for the greenspace.

The last proposed use for the church that was made public occurred in 2010 when it was envisioned as an indoor marketplace for food and clothing vendors. That plan collapsed and did not proceed.

The city fire department has marked the building as too dangerous to enter if a fire broke out.

Construction of the church began on July 19, 1868 and work was completed on Oct. 24, 1869.

"This became the center of assimilation for the French immigrant community in Troy," said City Historian Kathy Sheehan, who is based at the Rensselaer County Historical Society.

"It's a shame to lose a building that represented the French population that had settled in Troy," Sheehan said.

Many of the Roman Catholic parishes have closed and consolidated in the city as parishioners moved to the suburbs. This follows a pattern of urban church closures across the nation.

Most of the closed churches in Troy and other cities served specific immigrant groups as St. Jean the Baptiste did.

kcrowe@timesunion.com • 518-454-5084 • @KennethCrowe