The Bloomington Planning Commission is recommending the city designate Holy Trinity Catholic Church as a local historic site.
The commission on Wednesday voted unanimously in favor of designating the church as a local historic site. The vote was 5-4 in favor of adding the church to a Historic Preservation District Overlay, also known as a S-4. Bloomington’s Historic Preservation Commission made comments in favor of the S-4.
But the Diocese of Peoria, which owns the church and accompanying rectory that would fall under the new designation, is against it.
Monsignor Jason Gray said while the diocese appreciates that the commission wants to collaborate, the S-4 classification would impose unnecessary restrictions.
“We just can’t guarantee that there’s always going to be reasonable people enforcing those restrictions,” said Gray.
A report from the architectural firm Healy, Bender, Patton and Been Architects found the two buildings need about $7 million worth of repairs and maintenance.
The church scored a “7/10” with “good condition, major and minor specific areas of repair or maintenance needed due to age and/or use.” The rectory scored a “4/10” with “multiple areas of investment needed beyond age issues, primarily due to lack of maintenance.”
The Holy Trinity parish has some money in savings, but still expects to have to fund raise for some of that cost.
“Based on what I know, the church has never had a problem fundraising,” said Justin Boyd, chair of the Bloomington Planning Commission. “What this does do, though, is allow them some extra grant money that they can use towards preserving that property.”
Holy Trinity was placed on the national registry of historic places in 1983. Parishioners had pushed for the local designation when the diocese began exploring closing the church. The diocese has since dropped those plans.
The Bloomington City Council will vote on the designation on Sept. 23.
