First Quincy church building relocates

102-year-old facility moved next to historical house

QUINCY — Visitors to the first church built in Quincy will now find it in a new place.

Crews picked up the 102-year-old building Monday morning and transplanted it roughly three blocks from its spot on B Street S.W. to one next to the Reiman-Simmons house.

Reiman-Simmons Events Director Harriet Weber was part of the team effort, including Kay Baumgartner, Brian Kuest, Phil Lust, Deb Adams and Dan Nielson, to move and rehabilitate the old building. Weber is working with many in the Quincy community and the state’s Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

The building was moved because it would have been lost in terms of preservation, Weber said.

Previous owner Kirby Hoyt began to renovate the building into a residence, but then got caught up in another residential project between Quincy and Wenatchee.

“Never could quite decide what to do with this,” he said, until Baumgartner expressed interest in the history of the building, which led to the project to rehabilitate the building. “It’s kind of sad, but it’s also exciting. Everything’s kind of come together, and this really makes sense.”

Hoyt added had he not purchased the building, it probably would have been demolished, as the City of Quincy placed it on their condemned list. One of the requirements for him to purchase the building, he added, was to put a new foundation beneath the building.

With the amount of development going on in Quincy, Weber added, the building and the property probably would have ended up purchased by someone from out of town. The land has been purchased by a party from outside of the Quincy area, she said, and the building was to be off the property by Sept. 1.

“In order to save this building, we had to move it off the site,” she said.

The rarity of the building’s barrel-vault embossed tin ceiling, with two half-circle crowns on the ends, and the fact that it was the first church in Quincy makes it a perfect pairing with the historical house, Weber said.

Originally, the building was a nondenominational community church for German-Russian immigrants, she explained, until that community grew and the congregational members split off in 1907. Then the Lutherans took possession of the original building.

A garden around the house, and its garage, were moved to accommodate the church. The church’s steeple was also removed prior to the move.

The building will be rehabilitated and restored to as close to the original as possible, Weber said.

“It’s going to be used for the community for things just like (the Reiman-Simmons house) is,” she said. “Faith-based, so weddings, funerals, prayer meetings, vow renewals, all kinds of things. Any sort of ceremonial types of events or services will be held there.”

Seeing the building make the move conjured up some old memories for Fred Schulz.

“It sure does,” he said, noting he was baptized and confirmed in the church. “I can remember the winters; cold, cold winters, hot in the summers … so much there it’s really hard to explain it.”

Schulz’s father was a charter member of the church.

“I think it’s the best thing that could have ever happened,” Schulz said of the move. “If it would have stayed where it is, I don’t know what would have happened to it.”

“This project has been bigger than any of us,” Weber said, pointing to the timing necessary to relocate the building. “I’ve been doing events and making things happen for a long time, and for this to come together like this, I’ve never seen anything happen like this.”