Take Me to Church (and Home) in Copake: $429K

  |  June 8, 2023

Living on a church property isn’t something you do every day. And with this two-for-one opportunity, you can buy both the church and the Craftsman-detail-rich parsonage.

It’s always kind of melancholy when a church is decommissioned. But perhaps the Craryville United Methodist Church can be reimagined into a performance space, or some other iteration. The church predates the parsonage: It was disassembled at a former spot up the road in 1923 and reassembled here. The parsonage was built in 1930, and has three bedrooms and one bath.

Both buildings appear to have been well maintained. The church has brick-red clapboard siding with white accents, and the parsonage has white siding and a roomy, covered front porch. Craftsman-style columns support the porch roof, sitting on brick pillars.

The church’s sanctuary is bright and pretty, with a hardwood floor, a semi-circular railed Eucharist platform, and tons of stained-glass windows.

It’s got the obligatory church basement, with a kitchen where countless members likely warmed up countless hot dishes for supper.

It has a door leading outside, sturdy carpet, and pillars that might help the new owner plan where to frame out rooms. The church’s interior measures 1,358 square feet.

A modern half-bath has a wood floor, modern vanity, and pale walls.

The parsonage has classic Craftsman style.

We’re digging those columns, and wonder if there’s solid hardwood flooring under that industrial-looking carpet.

The stairs, too, have pretty details. They could use some cosmetic touchups.

We’re glad no one painted over that classic chestnut trim around the windows and baseboards. Hey, there’s a peek at the floor—yup, it’s hardwood.

The original panel doors are gorgeous, from an old-home-lover’s perspective. And the floor here is intact, though it needs refinishing.

*Gasp* Any Craftsman aficionado would drool over this built-in dresser and shelving inside a closet.

The bathroom definitely needs a redo (see ya, ’70s-esque “marble” vanity and dingy carpeting), but we’d for sure hang onto that slipper tub. The white wainscoting has a faint brick pattern, and the vintage wallpaper above has some nostalgic tones.

The dining room has big windows with more of that pretty trim.

The kitchen doesn’t have many classic details we’d hang onto: The red linoleum floor, Early American wood cabinets, and “wood” countertops have probably all seen better days. But it’s worth carefully disassembling and deciding what to reuse. The parsonage measures 1,458 square feet.

The church is zoned commercial, and appears to have the ADA compliance to go along with that. The entire property is a half-acre; both buildings are being sold together because they share a well and septic system.

If this once-sacred space is calling you, find out more about 1781 State Route 23, Copake, from James Conway with Coldwell Banker Advisor Realty.

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