For the first time in more than 80 years, a pastor will be able to call the ’s cottage home sweet home.
The church will host an open house on Oct. 15 for the renovation of “The Cottage,” a home on the house of worship’s property that was recently redesigned by Douglaston architect Kevin Wolfe.
Rev. Linden DeBie moved his family into the home within the past week following a restoration process that wrapped up in August.
“Over the years, the cottage had pretty much gone to ruin,” DeBie said. “It was almost to the point of being uninhabitable. It was a mess. So, this is a rebirth.”
“Heaven On Earth: The Rebirth of the Historical Community Church of Douglaston Cottage” will be held from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and will include food and drinks prepared by congregation members.
The event, which is free and open to the public, will be hosted in conjunction with the .
It will include a tour of the cottage, the church and the house of worship’s .
DeBie said community members could just show up for the Oct. 15 open house and that no registration is required.
The church plans to host a separate tour for congregation members on Oct. 9 following morning service.
Wolfe, an architect and member of the historical society, said parts of the cottage were originally constructed in the 1850s.
“This is a project that restores one of the key buildings in the [proposed] Douglaston historical district,” he said. “It was lying fallow, but will now be able to be used to promote the church’s mission. It’s a pretty remarkable transformation.”
The property had been converted into two apartments, but was returned to a single-family home during the renovation. In addition, new plumbing, heating and air conditioning were installed.
The project was fully funded by church funds.
It was used as a parsonage for the church from 1915 to 1930. The church then bought a home in Douglas Manor that it used to house its pastors until 1970. A second home was then purchased for that same purpose and used until 10 years ago.
DeBie and his family have been living in a home provided by a Douglaston resident since he took over as pastor for the church one year ago.
He said the church decided to refurbish the cottage around the same time they brought him on as pastor.
“The thrust of the whole project was to reinstitute the idea of being a community church and meeting the needs of the people,” he said.
The Community Church of Douglaston is located at 39-50 Douglaston Parkway.
