PHOTO BY BRENNA WHITE / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
WORK UNDERWAY … Demolition occurred mid-afternoon on February 3, 2026, on the corner of West Jefferson Street and Empire Street in Montpelier, Ohio.
By: Brenna White
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
Crews began demolition this week on a former church building across the street from the Montpelier Police Department on West Jefferson Street in Montpelier.
The property, owned by the Williams County Land Bank, was taken down using funding from the state’s Site Revitalization and Demolition Program. The demolition is part of ongoing efforts to address deteriorating and unused buildings throughout the county.
According to officials, the church had been vacant for several years and had fallen into disrepair. The site had previously been assessed and approved for demolition through the land bank process.
The church had longstanding ties to the community and was once an active place of worship for decades. The First Church of the Nazarene and House of Prayer were among the most recent congregations to use the building.