This Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. Project Restore will begin clean up on the
building grounds. Anyone interested in helping the group cut weeds, mend the fence and
remove garbage and debris is welcome.
Four years after a fire partially destroyed the All Saints Church in Stuart, Project Restore is ready to begin the process of rehabilitating the nearly 100-year-old structure. The Project Restore Foundation officially purchased the building on September 15 from the Catholic diocese of Des Moines and the group is ready to get the process underway.
This Saturday, September 25 at 9:00 a.m. Project Restore will begin clean up on the
building grounds. Anyone interested in helping the group cut weeds, mend the fence and
remove garbage and debris is welcome.
This group hopes to restore the structure for use as a Community Cultural Center and Institute of Religion and Peace, promoting religious understanding. Preservation architect Bill Wagner has donated his services to the group. Wagner is renowned for his restoration efforts on Terrace Hill in addition to several other preservation projects.
"We are honored to have Bill Wagner working with us on this project." "His expertise will be invaluable," Tom Smull, Project Restore member says.
In addition, Monday September 27, Project Restore will host a community meeting to discuss the "Road to Restoration." Anyone interested in learning more or volunteering his or her time is encouraged to attend. The meeting will be held at the Stuart Town Hall at 7:00 p.m. Members of Project Restore will give a presentation and discuss issues such as fundraising and the intended us of the building.
"The process will no doubt be a challenging one, but we look forward to the task of saving something that means so much to so many, and in doing so restoring such an important part of Stuart's cultural heritage," said Dick Doherty, Project Restore president.