There is this one thing that constantly competes for Rev. Michael L. Brown’s attention in leading Liberty Hill Baptist Church: The imposing building the church has called home for nearly 70 years.
The massive four-story Moorish Revival-style brick building at Euclid Avenue and East 82nd Street stretches more than a block, almost to Carnegie Avenue.
When Brown became senior pastor in 2020, he quickly learned the challenges of overseeing a historic building, especially one with a 1,200-person capacity auditorium, two dozen classrooms, a commercial kitchen and a banquet hall. (The building initially was completed in 1912 with an immense addition built in 1924.)
Take the case of a leaky roof, or, in this case, roofs. The building has five of them.
“Whenever there was a downpour, I was praying that I didn’t walk into puddles of water in our sanctuary,” he said.
A Sunday service in June at Liberty Hill Baptist Church in Cleveland’s Fairfax neighborhood included a choir performance and a sermon by Rev. Michael L. Brown.
The congregation was able to raise $300,000, which went toward replacing three of the roofs. It will probably cost just as much to replace the other two, Brown said. Much-needed tuckpointing will most likely cost $400,000. The church is awaiting an assessment report of the building’s plumbing and electrical systems, which he said need substantial upgrades.
Liberty Hill, founded in 1917, is honored to be the steward of this formidable historic structure, he said, but it comes with monetary challenges. Brown is excited that the Cleveland Restoration Society is working on creating a $5 million fund to help the city’s Black churches in historic buildings with major repair and restoration projects.
“This is God’s house,” Brown said. “He’s given us this edifice. We have the responsibility to maintain it to a certain standard.”
Liberty Hill’s Tiffany stained glass windows have some acclaim
The pastor beams with pride as he gives a tour of the 1,200-seat sanctuary. Above is an expansive dome, where a shade of sky blue dominates, accented with Ludowici tiles, a sign of luxury. The main attraction is the eight Tiffany stained glass windows.
“Mr. [Louis Comfort] Tiffany himself had a hand in these!” Brown said, his chest puffing out just a tad. “The richness and beauty of this building makes it a Cleveland treasure.”
A black-and-white photograph of one of the windows appears on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Liberty HIll bought the church building in 1956 from the Anshe Chesed Congregation, who called it the Euclid Avenue Temple. The Jewish congregation commissioned Tiffany Studios to create the windows, and the company then used the photograph of the window in its sales catalog.
While the sanctuary offers an example of how the church has carefully maintained the building, it also reveals how Liberty HIll has struggled with consistency in planning for major improvements. The pastor points to some water damage from a leaky roof on walls in the sanctuary. He said the roof should have been addressed before the congregation redid the sanctuary several years before Brown arrived.
“I tell my trustees that we’re in a season where we’re not just putting a bandage over things and moving on to the next thing,” he said “We’re going to fix it and fix it right.”
Stewarding a large historic building can be challenging
Brown is expecting the upcoming report on the plumbing and electrical systems to place a hefty price on upgrades. Logically, the church would have waited for electrical improvement before installing a new audio and visual system a few years ago in the sanctuary. Practically, the church couldn’t wait. This new equipment was needed to improve the in-person and online worship experience.
He prays just about every time it is turned on that the old wiring will accommodate the new technology. Brown said the system is so old that it uses fuses instead of circuit breakers. When the church went to buy fuses several months ago, they were told that the inventory was low because the type of fuse the building uses is discontinued. Finding this out highlighted the potential peril of consistently putting off major improvements, even if it was done to prioritize the higher calling of ministry.
“We bought all the ones they had,” he said. “We couldn’t take the chance that we wouldn’t be able to find them in the future.”
The 450-member congregation has raised $100,000 for a capital improvements fund, which the church continues to use.
And then there is the sobering reality of everyday operations. Brown recalls learning earlier this year that a monthly gas bill had been $8,000. He was startled by the amount, but the trustees told him that the church has had higher winter bills. He mentioned this to dispel misconceptions about churches and other religious institutions getting discounts on utilities and everyday expenses.
“People have to understand that even though we’re a church, even though we’re serving the community, even though we do everything we can for God, we get charged commercial prices,” he said.
Community outreach has been important to Liberty Hill. It has a food ministry, in which the church serves free hot meals to the community and monthly gives out groceries.
Liberty Hill Baptist Church is one of many historic Black churches that has the challenge of preserving their buildings while also serving the surrounding community.
Liberty Hill hosted historically important events
How the church has used its auditorium over the years has also been a ministry, including hosting historically important events. The legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson did a fundraising concert for the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to support his civil rights activities, said Margaret Lann, director of preservation services and publications at the Cleveland Restoration Society.
After the 1966 Hough uprising, Liberty HIll hosted the Citizens’ Grand Jury. It was led by Louis Stokes, who would later become Ohio’s first Black congressman, representing much of Greater Cleveland’s East Side for 30 years. The panel was a response to the findings of the official commission, which blamed the unrest on a group of agitators. The Citizens’ Grand Jury said that the uprising was “due to the appalling living conditions, official neglect, and rampant police abuse and disrespect for the community,” according to the Cleveland Civil Rights Trail website.
The original 1,200 seats in the auditorium, now called The Liberty Hill Performing Arts Center, have been removed. Theater seats from the Cleveland Play House’s old location in Fairfax are stacked up, ready to be installed. They were donated by the Cleveland Clinic, which bought the former theater building and demolished it. The gift included theater lighting, stage curtains and other items to create a full-fledged theater, Brown said. The space must first must be renovated, which includes making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The performing arts center is run by a nonprofit that the church set up.
Brown, who sits on the board, said it is determining how the space will be used. He said he is confident that the space will be of service to the community.
“Liberty HIll sits on a corner, where we have to be a light for Fairfax and the surrounding communities,” he said.
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East Mt. Zion Baptist Church, founded in 1908, has been in its historic building on Euclid Avenue since 1955.