The Presbyterian Church of the Covenant building has been sold. The deed was transferred December 30 to the new owner, the Citadel of Praise Church and Campus Ministries. The price was $1.35 million.
The Church of the Covenant congregation won’t be going far. It will move from 501 S. Mendenhall Street to the Holderness Presbyterian House at 409 S. Mendenhall, located on a lot that used to be part of the church’s parking lot.
The Citadel of Praise is a nondenominational Christian church. Over more than 20 years, it has met in a number of locations, most recently the downtown Marriott. “Since 2003, the Citadel of Praise has been a refuge for the lost and a home for believers committed to God’s priorities of faith, family and service,” its website says. “Under the leadership of Rev. Gregory B. Drumwright, the ministry grew into a movement that has ignited revival on college campuses, birthing the Citadel Campus Ministry and drawing hundreds of students to Christ.
“Today, the Citadel remains devoted to transforming lives through the Gospel, empowering generations and building the beloved community.”
The Church of the Covenant’s membership can no longer support the 48,000 square-foot building, and it had been looking for a buyer for several years. Throughout the sale process, a variety of proposals for adaptive reuse had been floated; the prospect of a new congregation buying the building didn’t arise until the very end.
The Walker Avenue Presbyterian Church was organized in 1908 with 83 members. Its original building was dedicated in 1909 at 501 S. Mendenhall. The name was changed then to the Church of the Covenant. The minister of music at the time was a neighbor living at 212 S. Mendenhall, Professor Charles J. Brockmann of the State Normal and Industrial School for Women, now UNC Greensboro.
The current building was built in 1919. It’s a Neoclassical Revival structure designed by Harry Barton, one of Greensboro’s most notable architects of the period. He also designed two other buildings in College Hill, the Effie Anderson House at 303 S. Mendenhall, a Guilford County Historic Landmark property; and the Powhatan Apartments on West Market Street at Mendenhall.
Few architects have been as historically prominent in Greensboro and across the state as Barton. For more than 20 years until his death in 1937, he designed several of the Greensboro’s most notable buildings, including the UNCG Auditorium, the Quad and others on the campus; the Guilford County Courthouse; the Cone Export and Commission Building; First Presbyterian Church; and World War Memorial Stadium.
Two additional wings were added to the Church of the Covenant building in 1937 and 1965. Restrictive covenants on the deed prohibit the demolition of the 1919 sanctuary building and the 1937 Education Building, adjacent to the sanctuary on Mendenhall Street. The interior of the building and the 1965 addition facing Walker Avenue are not protected. The building sits on a 1.7-acre lot and was sold along with two smaller lots across the street now used for parking — 0.22 acre and 0.67 acre.
