The restoration of the historic St. Lawrence has been planned for two phases to coincide with the two halves of the building - the parish hall and the sanctuary.  Phase One, the parish hall, achieved success in May of 2001.  Planning for Phase Two, the sanctuary, began in earnest shortly thereafter.

Recently the Friends of the St. Lawrence Church which operates the St. Lawrence Arts and Community Center on Munjoy Hill inn Portland Maine received $350,000 in December for capital support to further its mission dedicated to the restoration and adapted reuse of the historic St. Lawrence Church in furtherance of Arts & Culture, Neighborhood & Community, and Historic Preservation.

The group received $100,000 from The National Trust for Historic Preservation through the Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation and $250,000 from Jane's Trust.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation/LOWE'S grant in the amount of $100,000 will be used to fund the repair and restoration of the masonry wall facade of the St. Lawrence Parish Hall Theater(1897), a local Landmark and part of the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center -a cultural center for Portland's Munjoy Hill Neighborhood and greater Portland that provides an affordable and accessible venue for diverse offerings of theater, dance , music, film, meetings, workshops and community events. Since 1996, The Friends of St. Lawrence Church has raised nearly $2 million to bring back the historic building. The St. Lawrence re-opened to the public in 2001 with a full calendar of events in the Parish Hall Theater which currently serves 30,000 patrons annually.

Jane's Trust awarded the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center $250,000 for Capital Support for the planning and design phase of the rehabilitation of the former sanctuary of the St. Lawrence Church into a community-based arts venue.

The planning and preliminary design phase of the restoration process will establish the design, cost and construction requirements for a 400 seat "Auditorium" in the former church building. The information generated from this work will provide the basis for a Capital Campaign as it will provide a clear and consistent description and appropriate use of the building and an accurate scope of the restoration process. Surveys of the greater Portland area, including artistic performance organizations and performers who have used the restored Parish Hall Theater in the St. Lawrence indicate a shortage of mid-sized venues in the city. Our plans to create the 400-seat Sanctuary Auditorium as Phase II or our restoration campaign will promote affordable, accessible entertainment and culturally enriching artistic experiences for the community.

One of Jane's Trust areas of interest in grant making is to further the quality of artistic and cultural development with increased access to artistic expression and education in the arts for underserved populations and the impact of artistic and cultural exposure on communities as well as the preservation of and increased access to historically significant buildings and objects.

Learn more about the renovation and transformation of the former St. Lawrence Church into the St. Lawrence Arts & Community Center by checking out all the info about the project on this website. And tell your friends.