St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Petersburg ended its church services in July, but the building was home to more than a congregation. The space also housed Petersburg’s dance nonprofit, which is now interested in buying the building.
Mitkof Dance Troupe is a nonprofit dance studio, which serves 125 dancers. Executive Director Olivia Reid said the troupe has a long history with the church.
“I grew up in the studio. I danced starting when I was eight, and most of our time was at the Episcopal Church,” she said.
She said the church’s location has been a great fit because of its proximity to Petersburg’s schools. The church also has enough open space for dancing, which can be hard to find in other buildings. Mitkof Dance Troupe has also put money into renovating and updating the church’s studio space.
“We’ve been expressing interest every few years, like, ‘If you ever want to sell the building, please let us know, this is our home. We love it here. The location is perfect,’” Reid said. “And they were never interested.”
That changed when the church ended its services this summer. As the Petersburg Pilot first reported, the congregation was aging, and the rector moved to Anchorage. The church also struggled to recover from the pandemic.
“They let us know that they wanted to sell, and we said we were interested,” said Reid. “We’re kind of just in the early stages of that. It’s a lot of going from a church to a nonprofit, and real estate is never quick.”
In an email, the Canon for Finance and Administration for the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska wrote, “Informal discussion have taken place between St. Andrew’s members and Mitkof Dance Troupe, and we have authorized our local real estate agent to pursue the possibility of the dance troupe purchasing the building.”
Meanwhile, the Mitkof Dance Troupe is still using the building as a dance space. Alcoholics Anonymous also uses the space for Friday meetings, and the group said they are currently still meeting in the building. That changed when the church ended its services this summer. As the Petersburg Pilot first reported, the congregation was aging, and the rector moved to Anchorage. The church also struggled to recover from the pandemic.
“They let us know that they wanted to sell, and we said we were interested,” said Reid. “We’re kind of just in the early stages of that. It’s a lot of going from a church to a nonprofit, and real estate is never quick.”
In an email, the Canon for Finance and Administration for the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska wrote, “Informal discussion have taken place between St. Andrew’s members and Mitkof Dance Troupe, and we have authorized our local real estate agent to pursue the possibility of the dance troupe purchasing the building.”
Meanwhile, Mitkof Dance Troupe is still using the building as a dance space. Alcoholics Anonymous also uses the space for Friday meetings, and the group said they are currently still meeting in the building.
