By Laura Oyen
Marjorie Moody and Mike Zaccardi have lived in the immersive space of what was originally the Lake Park Baptist Church since 1993. This converted church became both their home and their work space for the past 30 years.
The original building permit for 1220 Pascal was pulled in October of 1921 for the owner, St. Paul Baptist Union. Axel Olson did $4,500 in building work through that winter. The next major work on the building occurred in 1931 by Rundquist and Bjork contractors who listed the owner as Lake Park Baptist Church. For the decade in between, the basement may have been used for services while funds were raised to build the full structure. The 1981 Historic Sites Survey noted this simple building was a “mildly Gothic revival” red brick church “with a pointed arched window in the main gable and segmented arched windows along side aisles”; in 1981 the building was known as the Agora Community Center.
In 1935 Rev. E. A Fenstrom was the pastor of Lake Park Baptist Church. Rev. Fenstrom was also the executive secretary for the Twin City Baptist Union and a professor for 15 years at Bethel Bible School. (Also known as Bethel Academy and Theological Seminary or 1480 N Snelling. It is currently the home of the Hubert H. Humphrey Job Corps). It was noted in the Twin-City Herald on March 2, 1935 that the reverend would “preach on Prayer” at the 7:45 evening service and “The Progressive Quartet” would furnish the music.
Lake Park Baptist Church had interactions with several other churches in St. Paul. In 1939, “the Pilgrim Baptist Choir sang a sacred concert November 29 th at the Lake Park Baptist church to a capacity audience”. The Pilgrim Baptist church* is a historic Black church in Saint Paul, formally chartered in 1866. At the time, the choir was raising funds for the church organ. According to the Minneapolis Spokesman February 16, 1945: “Brotherhood Day will be observed in St. Paul on Sunday with the exchange of pulpits between two Negro and two white ministers.” “Rev. C. B. Wheeler, pastor of the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church, Mackubin and Central, will exchange pulpits with the Rev. R. S. McBirnie, of the Lake Park Baptist Church at the 11 AM services.”
Lake Park Baptist Church was actively used as a church into the mid-1970’s. In the Minneapolis Star on May 28, 1975, it was noted that Agnes Turner, age 73, of 1338 Simpson, St. Paul had her funeral services at the church prior to interment at Fort Snelling. “Memorials for Ms. Turner were preferred to Lake Park Baptist Church”.
By May of 1978, the church was being used by Agora Community Services where a workshop on living alone was to be held led by therapists Sandra Taylor and George Polley of Minneapolis. From 1980 to 1981, “Stone Soup”, a new Christian coffeehouse had been opened at Agora Community Church/Agora Community Service Center. Contemporary Christian “live music” was featured each Friday night at the 1220 Pascal location. Agora Community had originally started out as a “house church” in the early 1970’s for the purpose of “discussions, speakers, small groups, fun, fellowship worship and exploration of the house church ministry.” By the end of 1989 it appears Agora was no more. A real estate transaction noted in the Star Tribune on Dec 28, 1989 showed a sale of 1220 Pascal St. North for $62,100. Extensive renovations between 1989 and 1992 converted the 1931 church to a single-family home. In 1993 Marjorie and Mike purchased the property and created a new chapter for the building, one that now adds art to the buildings’ past of faith, brotherhood, and music.
Sources:
- Historic Sites Survey: Ramsey County Historical Society- Saint Paul Heritage Preservation Commission Site visit 8/20/1981 by Steve Babbitt – Negative File number 194/10/23
- Building Permit Index Card – City of St. Paul Department of Parks, Playgrounds and Public Buildings – Division of Building Inspection – W.P.A. Project 465-71-3-267 WP6008; 1220 Pascal
- St. Paul Recorder: 12/8/1939
- Minneapolis spokesman: 2/16/1945
- Bethel University Adjunct Faculty Guide June 2013: Mission and History
- Minneapolis Star: 10/5/1972, 9/22/1973, 5/28/1975, 7/11/1980, 3/20/1981
- Star Tribune: 5/28/1978, 12/28/1989
Printed History | Pilgrim Baptist Church
History of Saint Paul, Minnesota – Wikipedia
*The Pilgrim Baptist Church is the building that houses the first Black Baptist congregation in Saint Paul. The congregation was founded on November 15, 1866 by Reverend Robert Hickman and a group of escaped slaves from Boone County, Missouri. They were smuggled up the Mississippi River on the steamer War Eagle with the help of Union Soldiers and the Underground Railroad. By 1900 this group had created four additional black churches in the city.
1922-1948: Worship from Home to Tent, to Storefront, to Church Basement – Mt. Olivet Baptist Church
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