Investment Firm Nears Deal for St. James Church
A Grand Rapids investor plans to demolish the closed 1876 West Side church for a $55 million housing project.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Catholicism
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A Grand Rapids-based investment firm is nearing a deal to buy St. James Catholic Church on Bridge Street, which the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids closed in 2022. The developers plan to demolish the 150-year-old building for a $55 million housing project.
Why it matters
The church has sat empty since its 2022 closure, and the proposed project would reshape a historic building in the Stockbridge Business district on Grand Rapids' West Side. The Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids closed the church citing fewer members, aging facilities, and expense.
The project is valued at $55 million and calls for two four-story buildings totaling about 177,000 square feet, with studios, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. The church building is about 150 years old, and the proposal includes 149 surface parking spaces and 1,000 square feet of retail space.
The players
Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids
The regional Catholic diocese that closed St. James Catholic Church in 2022 and is working with the developers on the project.
Beckett Industries
The Grand Rapids-based investment firm nearing a deal to buy the church and plans to demolish the building for housing.
The details
The developers are working with the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids and neighborhood leaders to build support for the project. The diocese plans to save some of the church's stained glass windows, and Beckett Industries plans to distribute bricks from the building to former parishioners.
Timeline
1876: St. James Catholic Church opened to worshipers on Grand Rapids' West Side.
2022: The Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids closed the church.
2026: The investment firm nears a deal to buy the church for demolition.
Nov. 12, 2026, 6 p.m.: A West Grand Neighborhood Organization meeting on the project is scheduled at Jackson Street Hall.
Parish Consolidation
The closure follows the Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids' decision to shut St. James over fewer members, aging facilities and expense. Its proposed demolition for housing marks a shift from keeping closed church buildings in place to redeveloping their sites.
Residents of the West Side and Stockbridge neighborhood would see a 177,000-square-foot housing development replace the historic church on Bridge Street. The project's 149 surface parking spaces and 1,000 square feet of retail space would change the street's daily use.
The takeaway
Redevelopment of closed church buildings puts local history and community ties up for negotiation, and the neighborhood meeting on Nov. 12 is where residents can weigh in before the project moves forward.
What happens next
A West Grand Neighborhood Organization meeting to gather community feedback is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 12 at Jackson Street Hall.
Further reading
For more on the faith and history behind this closure, see Catholicism coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by 103.3 WKFR.
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