An historic building that had served just one purpose as a sanctuary for prayer and fellowship will soon provide three uses: apartments, a food hall and a special events venue.

After a complete interior overhaul to Trinity United Methodist Church, a new concept called “Northwest Square” at 306 W. Wisconsin Ave. in DeLand will open its doors sometime this summer.

The husband-and-wife team behind the project are hoping to continue the revitalization the city’s downtown has seen over the last decade or so with new options for residential units and entertainment options. According to the developer, monthly rents will start at $1,250 (including utilities, Wi-Fi, security deposit, parking, etc.) for a 255-square-foot studio. Pricing for each of the 15 apartments varies by size and range from studio to three-bedroom units.

The former church built in 1926 is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A three-year-plus process

Plans for the three-story structure go back several years. When the property came up for sale in 2021, Chris and Jessica Levings began eyeing it for an adaptive reuse project. He is a residential real estate investor who also has sense of kinship with the building as he grew up attending Sunday services there with his family. She is a real estate agent with years of experience in the field, including mixed-use projects.

The Levings purchased the building in August 2022 for $950,000, according to property records and last year began extensive renovations to the 26,672-square-foot former church. While the concrete and masonry facade was left mostly intact, the interior had to be reconfigured to accommodate a food/beverage hall and wedding and event space, as well as changes to bring the building up to code.

In a phone interview with The News-Journal Tuesday, Jessica Levings said they were fortunate in designing the layout of the residential units since the second and third floors of the building were already divided into classrooms used by the Methodist congregation (one single unit on the first floor is designated as an ADA-equipped apartment). The original exposed brick was retained throughout much of the interior which has an industrial-type look, according to Levings.

“We tried to use as much of the existing features as we could,” Levings added. “It’s been important throughout this process to preserve as much as we can.”

Food hall, events space open to the public

Tenants will have the convenience of a food hall on the first floor, which is open to the public as well. So far, a number of vendors have signed on to rent space, including Chapel Tap, selling craft beers from across the state; Tropi Shack, with a selection of Cuban sandwiches, ice cream and sorbet; Wander Bar Cocktail Lounge, featuring local craft cocktails; a wine bar, juice and locally roasted coffee; a florist and other retail; an arts store; and more. Live entertainment will be offered regularly.

The events venue will include four spaces, including indoor and outdoor options, with the capacity to hold from 20 to 250 guests. The Levings recently hired an events planner.

Georgia Turner, executive director with Visit West Volusia, said that while the region was fortunate to have many good places to eat and drink, “this is something very different for downtown ― there’s nothing like it around here.”

The events venue also excited Turner who said it was just another way to bring more visitors into the DeLand region and introduce them to all the area has to offer.

Levings said the community, particularly the surrounding neighborhood, has been very supportive of the project after developers reached out to them for feedback in the application process.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Converted DeLand church to become apartments, food hall, event venue