What a great example of adaptive reuse. In Worcester we tear these old churches down to have a dirt lot downtown.
Two years ago the city actually tried to demolish the former First Congregational Church (left), which is DIRECTLY across the street from the city hall and library. It would have destroyed the streetscape in thar area. Luckily people protested and it's being currently being adaptively reused into the Lowell Center for the arts. They also demolished one of their best churches in 1996, St Peters, after it stood vacant for a decade.