Members of Holy Trinity Presbyterian Church attend services Oct. 25 in their new sanctuary. Staff photo by KATE CALDWELL

TAMPA - An English Gothic landmark church built in the 1920s has been resurrected as the first permanent home of Holy Trinity Presbyterian, ending a decade-long quest.

The exterior of the impressive red-brick building at 350 S. Hyde Park Ave. is relatively unchanged, but improvements within give a fresh look to the 1927 structure.

"It's come a long way," Pastor Steve Casselli said during a recent tour of the newly refurbished 36,000-square-foot structure, originally the home of First Christian Church.

In the sanctuary, what was old is new again, but with respect for the original architecture and design.

"We tried to preserve the historical beauty but make it as user-friendly as possible, with modern conveniences," Casselli said. "It's always going to have some quirks because it is an old building."
The 82-year-old building also held surprises.

"When we pulled up the carpet, we were just astonished at what was underneath," the pastor said. Uncovered was heart-of-pine flooring which, after being stripped and varnished by experts, probably shines brighter than when installed in 1927.

The original wooden pews were cleaned and refinished, among the projects tackled by the congregation. "Volunteers came in and spent lots of hours working on them," Casselli said.

The sanctuary stage was remodeled using pinewood salvaged when tile was installed in the entrance hall.

The rest of the interior of the church got fresh paint, new carpeting and ceiling tiles, plus changes and additions required by modern building codes. An indoor ramp required to provide wheelchair accessibility to the sanctuary, is subtle - gently sloped and covered with carpeting. The ramp's wooden railing is also new but designed to mimic the much older banisters of the nearby stairway.
New chandeliers throughout are reproductions of period pieces.

The comparatively short history of Holy Trinity Presbyterian dates to 1998, when Casselli launched a Bible study group. Less than a year later, having outgrown the homes of members where the group met, the congregation leased space at Palma Ceia Baptist Church.

"We certainly didn't plan to be there that long," Casselli said of the accommodations about three miles from the new Hyde Park address. "We looked at every available building and piece of land in South Tampa," he said. "But South Tampa has unique spacing challenges; it's not like there are loads of options."

Meanwhile, Tampa's century-old First Christian Church congregation was facing a modern financial struggle. Founded in 1900 by 14 charter members, the church moved several times before dedicating its $250,000 sanctuary in January 1927.

In recent years the church brought in $8,000 to $10,000 monthly for operating costs and salaries. Like some other downtown churches, however, First Christian suffered from a dwindling congregation as people moved to suburbs.

The church that boasted attendance of 2,000 during its heyday was struggling to maintain its stately building. As attendance dipped, maintaining the aging building was more than the congregation of about 100 regular attendees could afford.

In November 2007, the Disciples of Christ congregation made the near-unanimous decision to sell its building and 1.7 acres of prime real estate. The property is in the Hyde Park Historic District, so the buyer could not demolish it, only remodel the interior.

For Holy Trinity Presbyterian - today a thriving congregation of about 300 - the numbers and needs were different.

"When it came on the market, we started negotiating with them," said Casselli. About six months later the churches agreed on a price of $2.75 million. The sale closed in late May.

"This is a beautiful facility. I feel it's ideal for our congregation," Casselli said. "People are very grateful, very enthusiastic we have a place to call our own," the pastor said. Much of the renovation work was done by members who rolled up their sleeves to volunteer hundreds of hours toward refurbishment, "the best indicator of people's enthusiasm," he said.

Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) 259-7124