A deal is pending to convert the old Salvation Army building atop Coles Hill into condos, ending a local couple’s dream of creating a romantic wedding venue there.
“We tried unsuccessfully for more than a year to find a buyer interested in a more public use of the building such as a museum site, a wedding venue or a business,” said Edward Gates, who along with his wife, Ayli, bought the building in 2018. “With no luck, we entered into a contract with a developer.”
According to an application filed with the town’s Historic District Commission, the developer plans to dramatically reshape the interior of the building, with seven one-bedroom and one two-bedroom condominiums. The second story choir balcony within the old church would be removed and the first floor leveled to accommodate the condo floor plans.
The application was filed by Merrill Engineering, on behalf of the prospective buyer. The firm declined to identify the buyer. Gates said the contract with the developer is contingent on the condo project being approved by the town and precludes him or Ayli from commenting any further on the sale or the identity of the buyer.
Built in 1913, the stone-front building was originally the First Baptist Church of Plymouth. In 1960, it was sold to the Salvation Army, which operated its programs and kitchen there until moving to Long Pond Road in 2017.
When the building hit the market, the Gateses were immediately intrigued with the idea of creating a wedding venue and restaurant there.
“We were excited about that vision,” Edward Gates told the Independent last year. “Who wouldn’t want to get married overlooking Plymouth Rock? It’s a spectacular location.”
While the Gates’s proposal was approved by town officials, including the Planning Board and the Plymouth Historic District Commission, an abutting property owner, Bradford Cushing, objected to the project at every turn.
Cushing claimed that a wedding or function venue was not allowed in that area of town. He also claimed the project did not meet the zoning law’s parking requirements. Cushing appealed to the Plymouth Zoning Board of Appeals to stop the project, then filed two lawsuits in state court when the ZBA denied his appeals.
The Gateses won both cases by summary judgment, the last victory coming in September 2021. It was the thick of the pandemic, but despite that turmoil, they decided to move forward with finalizing the design and eventually obtained a building permit to start the project in 2023.
But too much time had passed.
“When we began this, I was years away from retirement and the timing made sense. But the process took such a long period of time that it brought us to a place that for me and my wife it doesn’t make sense anymore,” Gates said last year. “It’s just not a great time to undertake the debt that would be required to finish the job.”
The Gateses, who are hosting a fundraising event for the Plymouth Independent in September, bought the property for $1.2 million. Their asking price was listed at $2 million, through South Shore Sotheby’s International Realty.
The first of what will be multiple reviews by town boards is scheduled for June 10, with an “informal” presentation to the Historic District Commission, which has jurisdiction over any proposed changes to the exterior of the building.
Michael Cohen can be reached at michael@plymouthindependent.org.