Newton Church, founded in 1893, is becoming condos

A historic 19th-century Newton church is set to be converted into housing after city officials approved plans to convert it into residential units. According to For Boston Business Journal.

The project, planned for 19 Highland Ave. In Newtonville, it will convert the former Open Word Church into six residential units while adding a separate five-story building with an additional 26 apartments on the property, BBJ reported.

Built in 1893, the previous church was affiliated with the Swedenborgian Church of North America before it closed in 2020.

In 2021, New Art Centre I looked into buying the church and moving its operations there, According to To the evil local. The nonprofit arts organization aimed to transform the space into a community arts center and secure city preservation funding to study restoration and reuse possibilities.

Those plans fell through, and an affiliate of Redding-based developer Habitech Communities bought the property in 2024 for $4 million, according to BBJ.

Under the approved proposal, Habitech plans to preserve the church campus and convert it into residential units while demolishing the adjacent parish house to make way for a larger apartment building.

The redevelopment is part of a growing trend across the greater Boston area, where former churches are converted into housing as communities shrink and housing needs grow.

Construction is currently underway to convert the former Blessed Sacrament Church in Jamaica Plain into affordable housing and performance space. According to To Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. The project will include 55 affordable apartments for residents earning between 30 and 80 percent of the area median income, with many apartments designated for people experiencing homelessness.

In Boston’s Bay Village neighborhood, the former Our Lady of Victories Church has been converted into 18 residential units as part of a redevelopment project known as La Victoire.

Morgan Russo is a freelance writer for Boston.com, where she reports on a variety of local and regional news.