The Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston has purchased a vacant home in downtown Charleston with plans to demolish it.
The home, which sits right next to the Basilica of the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart's Cordis Center on Virginia Street, was purchased for $375,290 earlier this month, according to property transfers recorded in Kanawha County.
The home had been vacant for multiple years. Interior construction work was being completed at the house Tuesday, with windows and doors boarded up at the building.
It's not clear when the home will be demolished.
The purchase was funded by an anonymous donation to Sacred Heart, said Tim Bishop, a spokesperson for the Diocese. Bishop said the home is beyond repair, which is the main reason for the church's planned demolition.
While there are no official plans for the property, Bishop said the church is considering multiple options, including additional parking for the Cordis Center, or creating a garden in the area. Bishop said the decision is up to the church.
The Very Rev. Fr. Donald X. Higgs, Sacred Heart's rector, did not reply to an interview request from the Gazette-Mail.
The Cordis Center, which sits less than half a block away from the church, houses the church's offices, apartments for priests and a commercial kitchen. The center was opened in 2001 in the former home of the Catholic Cenacle sisters.
The project is the latest for Sacred Heart, which recently renovated 1033 Quarrier St. to expand Sacred Heart Grade School.
The former rector of the church, Monsignor Edward Sadie, has spoken publicly on multiple occasions about the church's need to expand its real estate footprint throughout the city, including for parking for the church.
The Diocese also purchased Wheeling Jesuit University within the last few weeks.
Reach Ali Schmitz at ali.schmitz@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-4843 or follow @SchmitzMedia on Twitter.