Historic Waverley Square Church in Belmont Sold for $1.3M

After 142 years of being the heart of worship in Belmont's Waverley neighborhood, the historic First Congregational Church of Waverly celebrated its final Sunday service on Jan 6 as the building was sold on Monday, Jan. 7 to a Weston-based developer for $1.3 million.

"I walked by the church on Sunday and saw parishioners putting stuff into a dumpster. I asked them what was going on and they told me they had to have all the stuff moved out by end of the day," said Jan Kruse, whose home's backyard abuts the church. 

A familiar beacon to the residents of Waverley Square since the 1880s when it was one of the first community building in the neighborhood, the future of historic building is now up to buyer E&A Properties, LLC, which is owned by Weston husband and wife Edward and April Hovsepian.

Hovsepian is a licensed general contractor in Massachusetts for nearly a quarter century as the owner of E.H. Construction Co., Inc. of Watertown.

E&A Properties, which was incorporated in 2009, took out a $975,000 mortgage from Northern Bank and Trust of Woburn.

The news comes six months after news that the church's congregation elected to put the building on sale. 

In September, Planning Board Chairman Sami Baghdady said he understood the building would be razed and a new residential construction will be placed on the site.

"What a shame at the loss of a landmark building," said Baghdady, a real estate attorney with an office in Arlington, of the church built in 1870, the first community building in what was then the Village of Waverley.

The church was placed on sale in July for $1.5 million by ERA Andrew Realty of Medford (now Re/Max Andrew Realty) but did not find a bidder and the sale was reopen to property developers in mid-August.

Under the town's zoning bylaw, the church's 34,000 square-foot lot will allow "as of right" the development of four house parcels which will allow two units on each lot, said Jeffrey Wheeler, the town's planning coordinator.

But due to town space requirements from front and back yards, it is more likely that a developer would need to reduce their plans to three structures of two units.

Kruse, who is also a Town Meeting Representative for Precinct 3, said the neighborhood expects to be heard on future development on the site.

"This church helps to define Waverly Square. We hope that at least part of the church may be saved and expect that any potential future development receives the same scrutiny and due process from the planning board as Cushing Square and the Oakley neighborhood development on Belmont Street," said Kruse.

"Any development should be of high quality and remain in character with the existing neighborhood as this is a large parcel abutting a residential neighborhood. We hope that the developer will soon reach out to neighbors to discuss plans," Kruse said.