Down on Frankfurter Strasse....maybe one block from the main bus drop-off point of downtown Wiesbaden.....right next to the Warmer Damm Park area....is the St Augustine Church.
A grand building of sorts.....built in 1865. The backers of the operation? British folks who were a bit dedicated to Anglican Church of England. Why build in Wiesbaden? Well....it was a spa town of the mid-1800s, where rich folks came....stayed a month or two for 'recovery', and in those days.....rich folks would sponsor such building projects with ease.
If you walk around town, you get to a point of noticing various denominational buildings....which were part up around during the 1850s to the 1914 period. Some don't match up with local religious groups....but they were accepted. You have to remember.....Wiesbaden grew because it accepted one key group of folks....the rich. And as much money as you wanted to toss into the city....it just felt inclined to accept you.
Times have come to a tough period. Rich British folks, with religious needs.....aren't coming anymore. There's no cash flow from within the isle. So there's talk today of the church being put up for sale....by mid-Feb of this year.
Shock of course.....has come out over the episode. The roof leaks. The electrical outlets that do exist in the building....are questionable and need updating. Heat? What exists in the structure....is marginal. Upgrading and renovating? The local minister is quoted in the Wiesbaden Kourier at noting 500,000 Euro ($650,000) for a basic renovation requirement.
I kinda suspect that the estimate is low, and by the time you figure heating (probably solar), and a massive update on the roof.....it's bound to be closer to two million Euro.
The issues? Well....it's historic. You probably can't change much of the look. Parking? Non-existent. Adjacent to the street? Quiet so. Remaking for another church? Zero chance.
Who would buy it? Probably someone wanting to convert it into a restaurant. I've noted a couple of efforts now where older churches were converted, and made for interesting dining experiences. It's near the downtown area, and likely is large enough to be a decent dining area.
The bid? I'm curious what the place will bring. With the work necessary.....I just don't see it selling for more than a million. The real estate or just the land itself? Probably worth ten million. Lots of folks would want it for a upscale condo building or such. But I doubt that the city would allow the building to be torn down.
Just one of those odd structural episodes in Wiesbaden.
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