Bowling Green State University began the demolition of the Wooster Street Center, 1124 E. Wooster St. on Friday morning.
Last September, BGSU trustees approved a plan to tear down the structure, which sits across from the Greek Village, with the intent to build parking lots to replace parking lost by the construction of the Maurer Center.
The former church, with the signature teepee-shaped steeple, was built in 1969.
The Community Lutheran Church of Christ had its roots in a campus Lutheran ministry started in 1948, according to a story in the Toledo Blade. In the 1990s, the ministry transitioned to a community congregation though still with a student focus. The last worship service was Dec. 29, 2002, the Blade reported.
The university purchased it in 2003, and since that time it has been put to many uses, including serving as the home of the Elsewhere Theatre, before the construction of the Wolf Center for the Arts, rehearsal space for musical ensembles, offices for student legal services, and occasional performances.
A recording of a 2008 concert by the visiting jazz ensemble Trio X (Joe McPhee, Dominic Duval, and Jay Rosen) was released on the CIMPoL label as part of the multi-disc set “Trio X: Live on Tour 2008.”
