HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-09-18, Page 13I10th Year No. 38 .
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During the sides, many small rural
ebur closed because of dwindling
convegatiorLs. In July 106 9, Ponces
Grace United march in Goderich Town-
ship fell death theauctioneer's hammer.
But the building wasn't doomed .for
demolition: Andy' Riehl and hts father
Albert (Red) 'Riehl of Saltford had a dif-
lend ea.
'may not turn the 42 -year-old church into
an apartment building? Andy credits his
father with the idea: "gad had the plan in
his -heed--, and even I was surprise at the
way things turned ¢tut. it:PP nzy first
experience at a job like that.'
Andy wanted tot buy property in the
country because he believed rural homes
would soon be in demand. The location of
the church seemed excellent for luring
tenants. The site was only five miles frozn
the Psychiatric Hospital, where he worked
at that time, and eightmiles from the
Alexandra Marine and Genera Hospital,
where both he and his wife, i tmy, arenow
employed.
When the auction was held, he was in
P.E.I. His father attended for him and vied
for the property with only one other bidder.
After the sale, the Riehls began their ar-
duous task; they ,did most of the work
themselves.
Andy explains, "As a cement contractor,
Dad had to know a little bit ' about
everrything, carpentry, masonry and things
like that." Red's knowledge came in handy
during the remodelling of the church.
First, they removed the old steep roof
which needed repair. They added bricks to
the walls and made the two-storey building
into three storeys. Then they , laid a new
black -shingled roof in a modern !ow style.
They bought the red bricks from aSeaforth
house, that, had been disrrintled. The
house bricks matched theeuiricka.
Because they were covered with black
mortar, each had to be scraped and
cleaned.by hand. Now the addition is in-
disce,-nible.
Next, they replaced the long, narrow
windows with modern, rectangular ones.
Andy recalls the chore of installing the
picture window in the second sttorey: "A
group of friends helped us. We slid it up on
planks and balanced it with ropes. It was a ..
dangerous job, if you didn't know what yiiu
were doing."
To retain the church effect, they left two
colored windows, one in the front peak on
the west side and the other at the back on
the north side. Andy sold the other stained
glass windows to an antique dealer, who
sanded the frames and inserted mirrors in
them.
The two original winding staircases
inside the front of the church were
dismantled. Andy and Red erected cement
steps and a platform as well as an inside
-stairway at the hack of the building.
At the front. they,r"` built an outside
staircase and a platform of angel stone.
Red laid the mortar, and Andy trowelled
the joints. Their technique was unique.
The church o f Ike jx:sI
Most constructors use forms and start at
the top; the Riehls began at the bottom
withoutt.forms. . -
-"Many people said, 'Don't you thunk
they'll be out at the top?' " Andy recalls.
"But Dad had the plan in his head. He
followed the lines of the brick or
something, and the steps were right on."
Much work took place on the grounds"
around the structure as well. They bought
a septic. tank, that the dealers claimed
could handle three apartments. They also
drilled a well to the south of the building.
Finally, they turned their attention to the
inside of the church, which was then only a
shell. The whole building required new
electrical wiring. In the basement, they
replaced the old wood and coal furnace
with an oil furnace. A double brick wall
separated the heater from the rest of the
room and made an ideal partition for a
fruit cellar.
On the second storey, they used the
lumber from the ceiling to level the slued
church. floor, The apartment floor now
consists of , three or four layers: After
erecting the partitions, they installed the
plumbing and the .pre -constructed cup-
boards. Andy and his father panelled the
living room walls, while Andy's mother
papered and painted the other rooms.
They covered the large kitchen and
bathroom with cushion flooring. The
combined living room and dining room and
the two bedrooms have hardwood floors.
They obtained the hardwood floor from the
original btzilding at the Goderich Airport,
that was used during World War II. After
the boards were sanded, Andy's mother
coated thein with durethane. Enough
hardwood remains for the two bedrooms on
the third storey.
The Riehls spent almost four years
completing one apartment. They invested
much time, work and money into tran-
sforming a church into Aa modern home.
And they're not through yet!
They want to finish the upstairs apar-
tment. They also plan to add a laundry
room on the second . floor, and someday
they'll turn the basement into a rec mom.
Above the front, steps, they'll erect pillars
and a balcony.
This fall and next spring, they'll land-
scape the grounds, They're grateful for the
evergreen trees at the back and the bar-
berry, forsythia and spires bushes along
the west and south walls. The shrubs,
which were planted before Andy bought the
land, cut down on landscaping costs.
Andy rented the apartment to tenants for
two years, but last June he and his wife,
Ramy, moved in. Both of thein list several
reasons for enjoying their novel home.
The house is situated on a hill." From the
building
The apartment of today
living room window and the front door,
they see a beautiful view of the lake. On
most summer days, they fee) a cool breeze.
The television reception is excellent,
especially with the tall antenna they
recently bought: The aerial also acts as a
lightning rod. Remy is a nurse at AM & G
Hospital and Andy is an ambulance at-
tendant. Both enjoy their scenic drive to
and from work.
Rainy lived in Goderich Tor aver a year
before she married Andy and moved to the
country.
"I liked Goderich the first time I saw it,"
she comments. "There seemed to be a
church on almost every corner, and I
thought maybe that's why they called it
Goderich."
"And then you end up living in a chur-
ch," Andy grins.
A few weeks ago Andy and Ramy held a
party for Red on his 70ui birthday. It
seemed appropriate to celebrate in the -
building where the family worked so hard.
Sometimes they refer to their home as a
house; other times they call it "the
church." Some neighbors boast it's Por-
ter's Hill's first high-rise apartment
building.
Regardless of what it's -called, the
church shows what people can do with a
little ingenuity and a lot of work.
by
EIain(►
Toic'nslu-nd
old ped at Clinton
for a plcttuw i log ctt past chile it suite hed ttr the Strratford-
Godericlt line. The trip wale set up, by the Upper Canada Rall
; l Society. (News•Reenrd
Gale force winds last Sa
boli turmoil as six foot Wa
BaytIeld. Daytime temperatUtesfig the ft's
the coldest September OK and hail*, rain and
lnta a sno !anile greeted any who
at Widispread frost was rep+ earth
tar in many plrrts of on. (Newsaecord photo) •
out
ew.
rithe d.
y'