By Mike Hazlip—
A church on Old Auburn Road dating back to the early 1920s, and the former home to Pioneer Baptist, is on the market for $1,600,000.
The property at 7600 Old Auburn Rd. is listed on commercial real estate site LoopNet, which describes a 6,708-square-foot “specialty building” with a newer HVAC system, roof, and an upgraded electrical system. The listing says the property would be “perfect for a community center and event space.”
The property is described as a historic landmark, with construction completed in 1922. The agent is Robert Balina of Santa Clara-based Synergize Reality.
An email to the pastor of Pioneer Baptist Church on Monday was not returned, but an email response from Balina on Tuesday said the listing has prompted several meetings with potential buyers that he said are local churches and nonprofit organizations.
Pastor Kyle Conley told The Sentinel in a prior email that the church decided move to an existing church building at 4252 Garfield Ave., due to the growing needs of his congregation. The church had initially planned to build a larger campus across from Rusch Park, but halted those plans earlier this year when construction costs nearly doubled.
Conley told The Sentinel previously the church was not interested in managing the property. He said he remains interested in developing land the church owns across from Rusch Park at 7904 Auburn Blvd., but said there are no definite plans.