A Hamden building that once served as a Frontier Communications call center will soon be used for a different form of communication — the heavenly kind. A 46,500-square-foot industrial building on 3.45 acres at 335 Putnam Ave. is being converted into a church and ministry center. The Northeastern Conference Corp. of Seventh Day Adventists of […]
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A Hamden building that once served as a Frontier Communications call center will soon be used for a different form of communication — the heavenly kind.
A 46,500-square-foot industrial building on 3.45 acres at 335 Putnam Ave. is being converted into a church and ministry center. The Northeastern Conference Corp. of Seventh Day Adventists of New York recently bought the property for $2.7 million.
The local Mount Zion SDA congregation is currently located in Hamden nearby at 64 Marlboro St., but it wanted a bigger space. The deal runs counter to a trend in recent years of houses of worship being put up for sale in Connecticut, as some religious groups — particularly the Catholic Church — face financial pressures amid a steady shift in Americans' attitudes about religion.
There are about 11 church properties currently for sale statewide, according to real estate listing firm LoopNet.
Kirk Gordon, chair of the congregation’s building committee, said it had been looking for a new location for years. It needs more room for worship and to accommodate its ministry and community outreach efforts. The congregation focuses on helping others by providing clothing, food and tutoring, according to Gordon.
“This gives us an opportunity to be more than a church, but a family life center,” Gordon says. “This bigger facility will allow us to spread the word of God and provide for the community.”
O’Neil Lindo, first elder with the church, said the new building will allow the congregation to serve more people in the years to come.
With room for a family life center, Lindo said there will be space to store food for donations and host classes on topics such as healthy cooking and parenting skills. Students will get tutoring in academics there too.
“It’s not just about the brick and mortar, but the capacity we will have for different ministries,” Lindo said.
Gordon anticipates the congregation will sell the Marlboro Street location, which currently has an appraised value of $507,000, Hamden town records show. Church members previously intended to build a new church on property over by Southern Connecticut State University. However, they determined it would be more cost-effective to remodel the Putnam Avenue building than it would be to build a brand new one, according to Gordon.
“This [Putnam Avenue] location is more community-central,” Gordon says.
Mike Johnson, owner and broker with TAJ Real Estate LLC in New Haven, represented the congregation in the deal, and he had been trying to find it a space with room to grow.
“This property was brought to their attention, which prompted their interest,” Johnson says.
A member of the congregation had worked at the Putnam Avenue building at one time, heard it was on the market, and alerted fellow members about the opportunity.
The real estate closing was in September, and Gordon expects the church’s community service operations to start using the new building this fall.
The congregation plans to do upgrades and renovations in phases. He anticipates it will take three to five years to finish the planned upgrades completely.
“As we do renovations, we will phase in different aspects of our church,” Gordon says.
Stephen Press, of Press|Cuozzo Commercial Services in Hamden, represented the seller, 335 Putnam Ave. LLC, in the transaction. 335 Putnam Ave. LLC is operated by managing member David Goldblum, who is CEO and principal of New Haven real estate development and management company The Hurley Group.
Hamden property records show the seller had owned the property since 1998, and the building was originally constructed in 1950.
According to Press, his client leased the site over the years. The building had been converted to a call center in 1999. Hundreds of workers for Southern New England Telephone answered calls at the building around the clock. Frontier Communications also used it as a call center before moving those operations elsewhere.
“The building sat empty for a bit,” Press says.
A different church leased the space for a few months, then it went back on the market, but the owner initially still wanted to lease it. The property generated some interest from potential occupants who wanted to use it for industrial and office space, Press says.
Then, the Seventh Day Adventists saw the building and wanted to buy it instead.
“It took about eight months to close the deal ..., and both buyer and seller felt it was a fair price,” Press says. “The property has over 200 parking spaces, and it really lends itself to a use as a church.”
