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An Ashland couple, Cory Ross and Greg Conaway, are remodeling a 125-year old church in the Railroad District, making the inside a modern, trendy home, but leaving the staid, Gothic exterior as it has been, complete with vaulted windows and soaring steeple. It may seem unusual to turn a historic church into a residence, but Ross said they’ve loved the old building for years and have long adored walking in the Railroad District. So when the occupants, Full Gospel Pentecostal Church moved to Phoenix and put up a for sale sign, they say they “bought it on a whim,” not knowing for sure what they’d do with it. “It has good vibrations,” says Conaway, “and we’ve already smudged it with sage, (had someone do) a professional clearing of the space. We feel that, for 125 years, people came here with the intention, mostly good, of praying and honoring their faith — and now it’s a home.” The idea of moving from their Fork Street home to the church took root, so they called a meeting of neighbors, asking what they’d like to see, says Ross. Ideas were floated about an art center, bakery and therapist offices, but practical cost considerations said “it takes a lot of money just to get the lights on,” notes Conaway. “It’s been an incredible neighborhood project with neighbors stopping by a lot and making sure we keep the old feel.” With James Stiritz of Dragonfly Construction as contractor, the couple rolled up their sleeves and pitched in, framing in rooms, adding a rear master bedroom and leaving the main space open to living room and kitchen. “They could have bulldozed it,” says Stiritz, “and I have a lot of respect for their vision. It’s a good investment and isn’t destroying the historic component, yet still meets their needs as residents.” The old bell was gone, so Conaway found one from an old church in Missouri, posted on eBay. “We’re trying to keep the feel of a church,” Ross says, “with the outside pretty much the original.” The building sits on two tax lots, with much land around it, to be turned into gardens and xeriscaping, using city incentives for removing grass, he says. The couple tore down an adjacent rectory building which was unsightly and not historic. The church’s citation on the National Register of Historic Places notes, “A finely detailed structure with a well-articulated tower and gothic-arched window detailing, the Church of the Holy Rosary retains very high integrity and effectively relates its historic period of development.” The modest-sized church at 6th and C Streets was built over four months in 1889, for $2,000, according to an archival Daily Tidings story. The church, seating 97 people, was Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Church, with Father Fabian Noel leading the project. It was the first Catholic Church in Ashland. The name was changed to Our Lady of the Mountain after a storm in 1912 stained the church wallpaper with the image of Mother Mary and the Siskiyou Mountains, according to the online church history. A new church of that name was built on Hillview Street in 1959. They took the old bell and it now sits in the new churchyard. The old church became the Pentacostal Church of God by 1964. The couple expect to have the church done and occupied by next fall. John Darling is an Ashland freelance writer, email him at [email protected]. null null null null null