Restoring the Westminster Property in Downtown Beaumont

Our founding vision of Riverside Church calls us to be “for the city,” right here, at home, in Beaumont. When we started in 2016, it only seemed natural to begin meeting downtown, at the children’s museum inside the Civic Center. In a remarkable working of God’s providence, we discovered an available building within steps of our temporary space, the old Westminster Presbyterian property.   

This property consists of a sanctuary, in high Gothic style, completed around 1912, and an educational building, in Art Deco style, completed around 1930.  Both buildings, typical of the construction of their time, were built to stand the test of time, both structurally and architecturally.

Westminster, a ministry rich in history and special to many in Beaumont, dissolved in 2009. In an act of true civic service, the late Jim Austin purchased the building and prevented it from becoming a source of blight for the city. He and his heirs maintained it for 8 years, seeking a buyer who would restore the property to its former beauty.

By the grace of God and through His provision, Riverside Church purchased the property in July of 2017 and began the process of renovating it for further Christian ministry.  Some people told us we were crazy, that no new church should locate itself downtown, when all of the growth was on the west end.  And a church plant should especially not begin its life with a renovation project, which more often than not have huge unexpected expenses.

However, such a project is consistent with our ethos as a church. For us, it was entirely consistent with our vision and mission of renewing, restoring and recapturing the freeing message of His gospel - and to see the return to this beautiful architectural treasure the laughter of children, the singing of God’s praises, and the teaching of His Word. No new building would offer this type of opportunity -- to connect with history, and to honor local Christians of generations past – and to conduct ministry on a property that is not just simply functional for its purpose, but beautiful for the glory of God.

As a young church, however, our resources are limited. While a few seed donors have stepped forward to help us complete the first three floors we could use your help in helping us with funding of this beautiful downtown structure.

Floors 1-3 are now complete and we will be renovating the main sanctuary once funds become available for renovation.

We absolutely love the Beaumont area. It is a testament to its hidden qualities that it is almost a rite of passage for some to move away, only to move back when they begin to miss the friendliness, the familiarity and the authentic sense of place that can only come from an organic community, where most people are locals and have been in the area for generations. But why should people have to move away to figure this out? Why can't Beaumont offer both, a stimulating and authentic urban experience, while at the same time being a great place to put down roots? 

In the long term, Beaumont must have downtown music venues, lofts, restaurants, retail and civic space to attract young professionals, who are increasingly not satisfied with the type of generic suburban sprawl that appealed to previous generations.  Beaumont, with Texas’ geographically largest historical downtown district, and, due to its earlier vintage, more architecturally glorious historical buildings, is uniquely positioned to make itself an emerging destination for startups and professional firms. Such an opportunity, however, will only be seized by deliberate effort and the support of local visionaries.

The Westminster project represents a step in the restoration of downtown. Our church group, and sister ministries that use the space, will increase traffic downtown on nights and weekends, contributing to the economic ecosystem that will be key to attracting businesses downtown.

We are looking for key strategic partners to provide funding for this restoration. Not only will we restore an architectural treasure of our city, but we will also be moving Beaumont in the right direction for its long-term viability in an increasingly competitive climate among our cities to attract growth and talent.  

Would you consider a gift to help us in this project?

You can make a donation toward the restoration through our giving site. (Choose the Building Fund designation)

For those considering gifts and wanting more details on the project, please contact Lauren Cavett at 409-351-5038.  We would love to give a tour of the facility and share more of our vision. Your gift, of whatever size, will be treated with the highest standards of stewardship and integrity.

For ongoing information about our restoration project at the old Westminster Church building and to follow our progress, visit the Facebook page for the project.