Irwin church gets OK to raze former manse, build office-social hall

A downtown Irwin church was given the green light this week to demolish its former manse — once a home to its pastors — and replace it with an office building and social hall.

Borough council this week approved the land development plans to tear down the house and build a two-story office building.

The First Presbyterian Church of Irwin, 617 Main St., already received approval from the borough’s planning commission.

Councilman Rick Burdelski abstained from the vote on the grounds that he is a member of the congregation.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. Douglas Rehberg said they anticipate beginning demolition on Wednesday.

As with other Presbyterian churches, the manse was a house the church provided for its pastors.

Not only will the project clear space in the church that is used for offices, it also will help free space for the food bank that the church operates, giving it an entrance off the basement, said Daniel Miller, the church’s office manager.

The building will be constructed with a stone front that matches the facade of the church and will be connected to the building on the first and second floors, Miller said. A stained glass window in the church will be removed to allow for access to the second floor of the new building, Miller said.

The building also will contain a social hall with seating for 200 people, Miller said

Construction is expected to take about a year, Miller said. The estimated cost of the project is $1.9 million.

The project has been planned for four years, Miller said. The covid pandemic interrupted those plans and now the cost has increased because of the higher price for building materials, he noted.