CARTHAGE, Mo. — People in the Carthage community were anxious to attend the open house on Sunday for the historic church at 1014 S. Main.
Rick Maynard took ownership of the property two years ago this August as “one big house flip” project. And an excited, history-loving community awaited its grand showing. As the people poured in, so did the compliments.
“He did such a wonderful job,” said Mary Riley, one of the first visitors. “It means so much, to so many people, that he would restore this building.”
The cornerstone on the exterior wall of the church clearly reads 1892, and Maynard said originally it was established as the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. It then served as the Church of Christ for close to 50 years. Other congregations shared the building over the years, but eventually it fell into disrepair. Now, it is for sale as a 4,200 square-foot home with modern amenities.
“I’ve always wanted to find a church to restore but I never thought I’d take on a project this big,” he said at the open house. “I like to find buildings – the worst they are the better, because you can see the difference. I’ve done a lot of remodels, but never one to this scale.”
The huge stained glass windows drew all eyes upward, only to follow along the original woodwork beams and pillars. Maynard said he installed a brand-new fireplace where the pipe organ and baptistery were once located. One of the beams had broken, but Greninger Construction helped reset it in the ceiling. A mill in Lockwood replicated the woodwork design so Maynard could install new carpentry to the new bathrooms – both up and downstairs.
“It was a lot of little jobs to do this big job,” Maynard said. “I had hauled 16 tons of debris from the basement, painted the walls … Just to come in here and look at it, I had to sign a declaimer because the floor was falling in.”
Some of the guests on Sunday knew exactly what it looked like before Maynard rolled up his sleeves. Donna Linn couldn’t stop smiling, and thanked him – like so many others that day.
“Someone else made it beautiful – I just brought it back,” he said.
As a Carthage native, Maynard said he was pleased with the finished project. He is member of the Carthage High School Class of 1975, and served the community as a paramedic from 1981-1999. With a big smile, he admitted he didn’t know what was next … Just looking forward to a local family turning his project into a home.
