A Inside Job The developer’s second downtown project is called the Parish House, and involves turning the historic church at the corner of Maryland Avenue and Prince George Street into commercial space topped by three $600,000-plus condominiums. Mr. Pilli had his eye on the building for several years, even before it was sold to USinternetworking in1998. When the Internet company put the building up for sale last year, he snapped it up for $650,000. “I like working downtown,” the Naval Academy graduate said. “You can walk everywhere and I like the fact that you can become part of the community. It’s like other people who like to have their offices downtown, only my office is a construction site.” The church was built in 1895 by a splinter group from the original Methodist Church in Annapolis. It was later occupied by the First Church of Christian Science, which extensively remodeled the building in 1953 and again in 1963. In 1998, the church sold the building to Usi for more than &700,000. The Parole-based company rewired the entire building and used it as a training center and conference facility. But in November 2000, concerns about revenues caused Usi to lay off 150 people and to scrap plans for the former church. The company is now in bankruptcy reorganization. Mr. Pilli’s development company purchased the property in March, and now he is working on every aspect of the job, from planning to sales. While his first choice would have been to build from the ground up, having to use an already existing building is a price Mr. Pilli is willing to pay. “There are very few vacant lots downtown,” he said. “And it’s much more economical to reuse than to rebuild. Besides, there’s way to much historical significance in this building to tear it down.” David Blick, chairman of the city Historic Preservation Commission, said the project will breathe new life into the building. The commission approved the project late last year. “We felt like it was pretty sensible design because it maintained the architecture but gave it new use,” Mr. Blick said. Using an old church does have its advantages. The Victorian gothic building comes with rustic stonework, a corner tower, gabled entryways, arches and stained glass windows. The first floor is being converted into 3,000 square feet commercial space. The second floor, formerly a sanctuary with a 30-foot-high ceiling, will become three-story condominiums. The three unique homes will range from 2,500 to 2,700 square feet. Mr. Pilli expects to complete the shells of the commercial space and homes next month. Once he sells them, he will complete the rest of the project to a specification of the buyers. He expects the homes to start at $600,000 with a commercial space at $450,000. Although he does not know what type of business will go in the commercial space, he said the building’s zoning does not allow for a restaurant. Hans Froelicher, president of Ward One Residents Association, said Mr. Pilli’s design is typical of the “over-the-store” concept long advocated by proponents of redevelopment downtown. Mr. Froelicher also said the project will blend nicely with its location in the heart of the city. “I think a building that combines the commercial and residential uses is certainly consistent with the transition when you move from a commercial street to a residential street,” he said. The unique living arrangement already has attracted several interested buyers who have plunked down a $5,000 deposit to put their names on a waiting list, according to Mr. Pilli. “When we start selling the properties, they will have the first shot at them,” he said. Surprisingly, no one has mentioned feeling wary about living in a former church. “To date, no one has said that, which is strange because you would think someone might,” Mr. Pilli said. “But really, only the outside will look like a church.”
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