After sitting vacant for decades, a prominent area leader is getting ready to turn the historic First Baptist Church in downtown Phoenix into a place for dining and gathering called The Monroe Abbey, located at 302 W. Monroe Street.
Former Phoenix Mayor Terry Goddard has been working on revitalizing this building for decades, dating back to the second week of his first mayoral term, following a fire that burned the roof down in the 1980s. Since then, Goddard, also a former Arizona attorney general, has been making progress in turning the Italian Gothic-style church into a space for gatherings, events, dining, and other creative uses, according to Phoenix Business Journal. After nearly eight years of progress, the project’s first phase is nearing completion.
Goddard plans to reveal the newly renovated space at the end of April, which includes a new catering kitchen to attract more weddings and events. The church has partnered with BTS Event Management and Fresh from the Kitchen for events that can now be booked for the open-air courtyard at the heart of the church. Couples and parties have already begun to be booked throughout 2024 and 2025. This is just the beginning in terms of renovation plans.
Crews are currently adding new steel beams and structures to support the building while also installing tiles, floors, windows, glass, and mahogany wood frames across the property. The bathrooms have also been upgraded and modernized, and several new trees and plants have been planted in the central courtyard. Goddard plans to continue to revitalize the space even into next year, hoping to eventually add some food and drink options to the site.
Following the launch at the end of the month, Goddard is working toward adding a new restaurant on the west side of the property with outdoor patio seating underneath the royal poinciana tree he planted ten years ago. The former mayor is in discussions with potential eateries as tenants. On top of the new restaurant on the premises, there are rumors that the basement could be turned into a speakeasy. Whether or not the speakeasy comes to reality, these renovations prove this historic hotel, which was built in 1930 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, still has plenty of life left.
