Courtesy / The Boulos Co.
Purchased for $50,000, the St. Louis Church will be converted to 20 market-rate apartments after substantial repairs and refits.
Updated: April 10, 2023
Auburn church to be redeveloped for market-rate apartments
A historic church in Auburn that’s been on and off the market for nearly a decade has finally found a buyer who has plans to redevelop it for market-rate apartments.
The Auburn City Council authorized City Manager Phil Crowell to execute the sale of the historic St. Louis Church, at 32 Dunn St., to Tom Robinson for $50,000.
Robinson is a University of Maine graduate who now works as a certified public accountant Portland and takes on development projects on the side.
His plan is to create 20 new one- and two-bedroom market-rate apartments.
“I am truly excited to breathe new life into this unique and beautiful building,” said Robinson. “I understand how meaningful this building is to the community and I am honored to restore, reinvigorate and reimagine the space.”
For the redesign, Robinson will work with the Auburn architecture firm Platz Associates.
“The Platz team has extensive experience in restoring historic buildings and a strong commitment to community, making them the perfect fit for this project,” said Robinson.
Courtesy / The Boulos Co.
The church features columns and stained glass windows.
Boulos Co. worked with the city to sell the church.
“Our broker, Chris Paszyc, understood how meaningful this property is to our community,” said Auburn’s director of economic development, Jay Brenchick. “He prioritized finding a buyer with the ability, desire and vision to transform and revive the building while retaining its character and history.”
Brenchick said the church has been “on and off the market” for nearly a decade.
“We have shown this incredible property to 87 different developers and interested parties over the past two years,” said Brenchick. “We knew the right opportunity would come along and we are very excited about this project.”
According to the Boulos Co.’s marketing information, the former St. Louis Church was built between 1902 and 1915.
Nestled in the heart of the New Auburn neighborhood, the neo-Gothic landmark has two spires, along with columns, an arched ceiling and finely detailed stained glass.
The 9,278-square-foot building is on just over half an acre.
A 2021 evaluation of the structure, facade and slate roof, by Allied Engineering, found the building to be structurally sound. But it’s estimated that $940,000 in repairs to the building’s brickwork, front façade and roof will be required.
The city offered incentives of up to $500,000 through repairs and credit enhancements to the buyer.
According to Maine Preservation, the St. Louis parish, dating to 1902, formed to serve the mostly French-Canadian neighborhood in New Auburn, a neighborhood south of downtown Auburn across the Little Androscoggin River.
Parishioners first gathered in the church’s basement before they could raise enough money to carry out their full building campaign. The tall, two-spired upper church was designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Timothy G. O’Connell. The parish laid the cornerstone of St. Louis in May 1915. O’Connell designed numerous Catholic and Episcopal churches across New England, with at least 15 in Maine, including St. Mary’s Church in Lewiston’s Little Canada neighborhood. Among his most notable commissions was the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston.
In August 2013, the St. Louis parish held its final Mass and the doors have been closed ever since. Maine’s Catholic diocese sold the church building in 2014 to a group of five investors based in Lewiston and Auburn. The group envisioned that the sacred space could become an arts and culture venue, but the multi-year effort ended in failure, according to Maine Preservation.
Following foreclosure proceedings, the city of Auburn took possession of the property, with the goal of redeveloping the church and transforming it into an asset for the neighborhood and city.
Brenchick has led the charge to market the property, opening the doors for showings and pursuing leads with restaurateurs, brewery owners and small businesses.
“The 10,000 square feet of space and list of needed repairs and upgrades seem to be the biggest deterrent,” according to Maine Preservation, which has the church on its “most endangered” list.
“I think it’s wonderful that this landmark Auburn property will be restored and will have a whole new life,” said Auburn Mayor Jason Levesque. “The legacy of those who built the church, who worshipped there and who raised their families there will endure; and there will be a whole new generation of people living their lives beneath the beautiful spires and columns of St. Louis Church.”
The project rides a trend of similar conversions, including Notre Dame des Lourdes at 16 Cutts Ave. in Saco, Clark United Methodist Church in Portland and the Motherhouse at Baxter Woods in Portland, all converted for residential use in recent years.
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