The Spiritualist church was built in 1912 for the congregation of Harry Boerstler, who moved to the neighborhood in 1900 to bring hope to its working-class people.

After years of vacancy, the church building was approved to be demolished for affordable housing, to accompany an upscale mixed-use development nearby, despite opposition from preservationists.

The community Spiritualist church was founded in May 1901,[1] in the home of Harry Boerstler at State and McDowell Streets.

The building's land was deeded to the West Side Spiritualist Church by a congregation member in 1911, with a property value of $17,000.

The church closed numerous times due to falling attendance, and permanently shuttered around 1948;[2] Johnson died that year.

[10] After about seven years of vacancy,[8] preservationists hoped to turn the site into a community space in order to preserve it.

[8] The developer aims to demolish and rebuild in conjunction with Gravity 2.0, a luxury apartment complex planned to be built opposite the site.