Proposal for new use of former church building in Kingston

Two groups in Kingston, Kingston Music Initiative (KMI), and Access Contemporary Music (ACM) are asking the city for assurances they could be granted a special permit to allow them to use the former Trinity Methodist Church located at 29 Wurts St. in Kingston’s Historic Rondout District for a music school and cultural center. The church is in a T4N residential zone and the special permit would be needed to allow its use as KMI and ACM propose.

The church building was completed in 1867. Several years ago it was deconsecrated. KMI and ACM are asking Kingston for assurances they’d be granted a special permit before they go to the expense of hiring architects and engineers to create plans for transforming the church building into their proposed music and cultural center. They say that no changes would be made to the exterior of the building.

They say the primary use would be for programming including music lessons, workshops, music therapy and recitals. Rehearsal rooms, practice rooms and recording studios would be among the new facilities created in the church building. They also would create spaces that could be used for film screenings, dance and theater classes, exhibitions, discussions, and other public and private events.

The upstairs of the church has a space of approximately 5,000 square feet that still has original Tiffany stain glass windows. It also has a pipe organ. Downstairs is a large community hall of approximately 2,500 square feet in addition to four rooms of approximately 200 square feet each, which would be used for classrooms and practice sessions.

KMI and ACM point out that the church originally was used as a place of public assembly and that if their proposal is supported and becomes reality it once again will serve that role.

“We are asking the planning board to grant a special permit for us to continue to use the building as it was originally intended, as a public assembly space and community center as we believe that our not-for-profit organization will serve the community well, enriching the lives of those who live in Kingston and beyond,” KMI and ACM said in a letter to Kingston’s Planning Department.