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What’s going there? Old East Chattanooga church building could hold new condos

Staff photo by Abby White / The exterior of Cathedral of Praise. Former Cathedral of Praise on Wilcox Boulevard has been rezoned and set for demolition as of Wednesday, October 15, 2025. Staff photo by Abby White / The exterior of Cathedral of Praise. Former Cathedral of Praise on Wilcox Boulevard has been rezoned and set for demolition as of Wednesday, October 15, 2025.

By Ellen Gerst October 15, 2025 5 min read

After sitting vacant for decades, an old church building on Wilcox Boulevard could soon hold up to 60 condos.

Planning commissioners Monday gave the first approval to an application to rezone the Avondale area site to allow denser housing. They added conditions limiting any additions to the building to four total stories.

“We initially wanted to propose 90 units, and we’ve reduced that to 60,” Gary O’Brien, an engineer with LaBella Associates, said at Monday’s meeting. “All those requirements, we intend to meet.”

O’Brien told commissioners he didn’t know what his client, Atlanta-based KH Property Group, plans to do with the existing building.