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Jessica Nelms

The old Seneca Baptist Church building has been bought by another church and is undergoing renovations.

SENECA — The former Seneca Baptist Church building on Fairplay Street will be discussed by Seneca’s Board of Architectural Review this month.

La Luz Del Mundo, or “Light of the World” church, is applying for a certificate of appropriateness for certain exterior changes to the building. Pastor Jose Estrado is the applicant in the matter, which will be heard by the BAR on Nov. 23.

La Luz Del Mundo purchased the old church property from Ray Billingsley in June of 2008, only six months after Billingsley had purchased it for $300,000 and requested a rezoning of the property from single-family residential to neighborhood commercial designation in order to develop office space and possibly a civic center or auditorium there.

Billingsley said last year he sold the property to the Hispanic evangelical church out of concerns about possible over-commercialization in the heart of Seneca’s historic district.

Now, the church finds itself having to go through the requisite processes and paperwork to change the aging building it has purchased, requesting approval of a roof replacement with metal standing seam roof material on the original portion of the building, repair of the front cast columns and lamp posts, placement of lamp post globes, repair of the front wrought iron rails, replacement of vinyl windows for the educational wing of the building, removal of tin work from the front sign, replacement of existing downspouts and replacement of glass for any stained glass windows.

Planning and Development Director Ed Halbig confirmed that staff approval has already been granted for roof replacement, repair of the cast columns and replacement of lamp post globes.

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