137-year-old Saint John church to be turned into climbing gym

Climbing enthusiasts in Saint John will get the chance to scale the walls of a 137-year-old church.

David and Mary-Gwen Alston purchased the Church of St. John the Baptist and plan on opening Climb 1884, a climbing gym, while keeping much of the stained-glass windows and iconic Gothic trim in place.

"The plan is to over the next six to eight months, bring the church up to what we need it to be in terms of a modern building, in terms of, you know, new roof, new brick work, new modern heating system and other types of things inside," David Alston told CBC's Information Morning Saint John.

"We absolutely love the architecture, absolutely love the stained glass windows, the vibe that's in there, so none of that's going to be changed. In fact, we're going to celebrate that as part of the ... vibe inside of the climbing gym."

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John announced in 2018 it would close nine churches in the city as part of a plan to merge 58 parishes into 27.

Alston said he and his wife have a "soft spot" for churches, and didn't want to see the one on Broad Street get purchased and torn down to make way for another building.

"We don't want to see another church kind of disappear, especially with a beautiful one like this one is. This beautiful Gothic architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows, absolutely amazing pieces, works of art when you look at them."

Long-time parishioner happy with decision

Bernadette Fernandes emigrated with her family from Portugal to Saint John as a child in the 1960s and can remember having her first communion in the church.

It would go on to serve as the setting for her wedding, her children's baptisms, and her father's funeral in 2015.

So when she found out the church had been sold, she was initially anxious about its fate, but later relieved once she found out who bought it and what it would be used for.

"When I saw [David Alston's] plans for, you know, the the rock climbing, I thought that is just brilliant, because for as long as I remember, I always associated a church as being an open door, like open to anybody," said Fernandes, who knows Alston as a former work colleague.

"And I just thought this is something where it's not private, like the doors will still be open to the community, and that, I think was the most significant thing for me."

Alston, who already owns Timber Top Adventures in Saint John with his wife, said the plan is to work with designers on a layout for the gym, and have everything set up for an opening sometime between next March and May.