The former First Baptist Church located at Fourth and Main Streets in Wayne will undergo an extensive remodel, update, and re-purposing to become the new Sanctuary Apartments.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held Sept. 21 in which investors, the architect, contractors and members of the public were invited to view the "before" of the project.
The former church was built in 1909, but last year its congregation decided to sell the building due to expenses associated with upkeep.
A group of local investors decided to come together to save the historic building and re-purpose it into apartments, purchasing the building last fall after learning it could possibly be demolished with a sale.
The new Sanctuary Apartments will preserve the exterior of the building as it is remodeled into six apartment units: two 3-bedroom, two 2-bedroom, and two 1-bedroom units. The brick building also features 49 original stained-glass windows, almost all of which will be kept in the new design.
The architect for the remodel is Roy Ley with Hoke Ley, an architecture and interior design firm in Lawrence, Kansas. Roy has already designed several buildings in Wayne, including State Nebraska Bank & Trust’s Main Branch in downtown Wayne and its SNBuilding at 1010 Main Street. The general contractor is Otte Construction from Wayne, and local/regional contractors will be used as much as possible throughout construction to help support the northeast Nebraska economy.
Construction is expected to be completed by the late summer of 2023. For more information about the Sanctuary Apartments, contact Matthew Ley at (402) 375-1130.
