What Could St. James Be Other Than a Church?

If it’s not a church, what could  be?

Well, it couldn’t be a bar, restaurant that serves alcohol or a nightclub.

“The church canon law put deed restrictions on anything that’s vice,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development.

And under the Catholic Church’s canon law, the structure is allowed to have a secular use, but not an “unbecoming use.” 

(However, a decree citing errors in Bishop Richard Lennon’s closing the parish noted he “omitted” those details)

One thing is for sure: The building cannot be torn down, according to a 2009 city historic preservation ordinance that protects the structure.

One concern is that the building would fall into what’s been referred to as “demolition by decay.”

Siley said he’s not too worried about that.

“The expectation is that (the diocese) will make every reasonable effort to maintain the property,” he said. 

Only two buildings in Lakewood have historic preservation status under the city’s ordinance: and St. James, designated for the exterior of the building and the public portions of the interior.