Former Asbury church acquired by development group planning restaurant use

A Savannah-based development group recently purchased the former Asbury United Methodist Church with plans to renovate the historic building for use as a restaurant.

The recently formed 1201 Abercorn LLC purchased the late-19th-century building at 1201 Abercorn St. on April 18 for $1.35 million, according to sales records. Co-owner Brent Watts said last week that he and his partners, Patrick Johnston, Beau Hinton and Brad Baugh, intend to lease the space to a proven local chef who plans to open a restaurant focused on local sustainable seafood.

“It will be a very approachable restaurant where you could go on a budget and have a really cool experience, or you could also blow it out with a multiple course dinner,” Watts said.

The plan is scheduled to go before the Metropolitan Planning Commission on April 30, when the advisory board will consider the owners’ petition to rezone the site at Abercorn and Duffy streets from Traditional Neighborhood to Traditional Commercial. In addition, the MPC will consider the group’s application for a special-use permit to allow alcohol sales at the restaurant.

“The space is so exciting because it has so much historic detail and soaring ceilings,” Watts said. “The rehabilitation will be minimally invasive, will showcase the buildings character, and will be in compliance with the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office and National Park Service guidelines as we will be using historic tax credits.”

The building’s renovation will also likely have to go before the Historic Preservation Commission, at least for staff approval, which co-owner Johnston said will likely be at the June 26 meeting if the plans are completed in time.

The sale comes after the church held the last worship service at the location on January 21.

The church had previously announced plans in 2020 to renovate the building after the structure was named as one of 10 “Places in Peril” for 2019 by the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation in November 2019. Currently, the building’s main sanctuary space is in decent shape, but the building's condition is “pretty rough" on the west, north and south sides due to water damage, Watts said. In addition, the windows will “need a lot of love” and the roof, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC will all need to be replaced, he said.

While the original building dates to 1887, much of it had to be rebuilt after a hurricane in 1896, and a brick facade and additions were added, according to the Georgia Trust. Asbury started using the building in 1927 and had stood as the only African American United Methodist church in the historic Victorian District, the Georgia Trust further reports.

Asbury is now holding services at a temporary location at at 10710 White Bluff Road, the education building at White Bluff Presbyterian. Savannah Agenda reached out to the church via White Bluff Presbyterian on Wednesday and this article will be updated if a response is received.