The old Methodist Church at 703 Church St. recently became the 11th Eudora area building to be placed on a state or national register of historic places. 

The building is owned by developer GW Weld, who is working on turning it into a wedding and event space. Renovations on the building have been ongoing since fall. 

Ben Terwilliger of the Eudora Historical Society said he is proud Weld was able to get the property listed on the National Register.

“I’m very, very pleased and very grateful,” Terwilliger said. “Obviously, I would think it qualifies based on my understanding of the state and national register.”

He also is grateful that Weld plans to save a building otherwise in danger of eventual demolition. 

“It’s one thing to get the building listed on the national register,” Terwilliger said. “That’s great. It’s perhaps even more important that it’s being taken care of now, which is really important toward its long-term preservation.”

Weld said he is passionate about historic preservation and the National Register is one tool he can use to fulfill that passion. The old Methodist Church has a long history tied to Eudora, he said. 

“Not only is it architecturally significant but it’s culturally significant to our town,” he said. “I just wanted to have an opportunity to bring it back to what it was and make sure that it’s gotten an opportunity to live another 100 years and continue to be a part of the fabric of our community.”

In 2011, Eudora only had one building on the state/national registers: the Pilla House at 614 Main St. Since then, the following have been added to either the state or national registry: 

Eudora State Bank – 707 Main St. 

B’nai Israel Cemetery – 1301 E. 2100 Road

Seybold Building – 720 Main St. 

Clearfield School 

Sunflower Village District 

Brender House – 545 20th St. 

Delaware Cemetery 

1864 Holy Family Catholic Church 

Cohn Building – 714 Main St. 

703 Church was home to the Eudora United Methodist Church from 1924 to 2006. The church was constructed using the Akron plan, a designing method used during the early 20th century. 

To learn more about the building’s history and Weld’s plans, read our previous story here.