Manse

toc = **The Manse** =


July 2008

Manse Long Range Use Committee
//A Snapshot in Time to Inform the Pending Decision* A Compilation of Manse History, 1960 – June 2008//
 * After reviewing the full report and recommendations, the Board decided in July that the Manse would be used as church space for the foreseeable future.

The following is information from a 60+ page report on the manse of The Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist. (Manse or parsonage is a term used for a residence that most church denominations used to provide for their minister/preacher and family.) The full report addresses two purposes. One was to respond to the Board’s request for a study group to explore possible options for the manse. Another was to establish a base of information and history about the manse. The complete report is available to church members in the church office.

Site Plan
Download this pdf file to see the site plan: [|Church Site Plan.pdf]

(1960-June 2008)
When the Community Church was founded in 1953, it was customary for a minister to be provided a residence, called a Manse, as part of the employment contract. The Church bought a house on Tenny Circle as a residence for its minister. That house was sold and a 4-bedroom house, the Manse, was built on almost 3 acres of wooded land between the Church and the UNC campus in 1960 to serve as housing for the Reverend Charles Jones and his family. George Matsumoto, a professor at the School of Design of what is now NC State University, was the architect. (To those who appreciate contemporary art and architecture, the Manse is a model of the outstanding work of George Matsumoto.) Construction of the Manse was financed in part by a $20,000 mortgage loan from the Bank of Chapel Hill, which already held a first mortgage executed in 1957 when the original church building (also by Matsumoto and Elliott) was built. Reverend Jones and his wife remained in the Manse until he retired in 1967. Due to changes in the Federal Tax Laws, it became more advantageous for members of the Ministry to be provided non-taxable housing allowances to allow ministers to purchase their residences and build equity. Following Reverend Jones’s retirement, a new minister, James Riddle, and his family lived in the Manse for a short period prior to purchasing a home in the country. About 1984 the Manse was sold to a nonprofit organization, Annie Sullivan Enterprises. The Manse was to provide housing for disturbed youth under the Willie-M Program. That program was discontinued and the Church was provided the option of repurchasing the Manse. The Church bought the Manse back in 1993 paying $150,000, including an $118,000 mortgage with Centura Bank. The Church decided to rent the Manse as residential property. About the end of 1995, tenants, who defaulted on their lease, vacated the Manse. During the first seven months of 1996, the Manse remained vacant while a Manse Committee was formed and major renovations, repairs, and replacements totaling approximately $20,000 were made to restore the Manse and improve upon what it had been in 1960. This work included getting the septic tank pumped, removing loads of trash plus 5 abandoned cars and parts, and cutting 4 large trees which threatened to fall on the roof. In addition, the plumbing was modified to prevent repetition of a freezing rupture and the problem of dampness below grade was solved. The bathroom fixtures were upgraded, new wiring and lighting fixture were installed, appliances were repaired or replaced where needed, most windows were replaced with double panes, rotten boards were replaced, new plantings and several truckloads of gravel on the long driveway were installed, and ditching was improved. The funds were provided by a $20,000 loan from the Church for this work to be paid back at the same rate of interest as that on the mortgage 7.75%. The Manse was also established as a stand-alone entity retaining all rental revenues and funding all repairs. In 1996 the contract with the rental management agency was terminated and rental of the Manse was handled by volunteers within the Church community. UNC students were among the target prospective tenants. In 2000, the Manse was rented at a very attractive rate of $1,500 per month. Unfortunately, those tenants did significant damage to the Manse resulting in major repairs. After repairs, every effort was made to rent to graduate students or adults. Recent rates have varied by tenants from $1000 to $1675. While rental of the Manse has been problematic, the revenues generated by the Manse have enabled the mortgage on the Manse to be reduced from $110,000 in 1998 to a principal balance of $64,611 in May 2008. In addition, the Church has tapped the Manse reserve fund in the past five years, with approximately $25,000 moved from the Manse reserve fund to the general fund. [Note: This may have been repayment of the $20,000 (plus interest) borrowed from the Church for 1996 repairs/renovations; confirmation is unavailable.] The present market value of the Manse property is more than triple the current loan balance.

Description of the Manse
The Manse is an attractive brick, two-story residential structure with 1,728 gross square feet, equally divided between the two floors. It is rectangular, 24 by 36 feet. The house has four bedrooms and two and one-half baths. It is in the modernist style with an overhanging, low-pitch gable roof. It is an "upside down" house with the bedrooms on the ground floor and the living room, dining room, and kitchen on the second floor. The second floor has cathedral ceilings. There is a masonry fireplace in the living room. The house was built in 1960. It was designed by noted architect George Matsumoto and has many design features in common with our Jones Building, the original church building, which he also designed. Anyone familiar with the Jones building would immediately recognize the same exterior brick (long, white), interior railing style, and use of beams and cathedral ceilings in the main rooms. Original construction cost about $24K, $20K of which was financed by a mortgage. The house is approached from the rear (north side) with the main entry hall opening into a split-level stairwell – one-half flight up and down. The house faces south, with its main windows to the south. The view is across the ravine west of the Church. Looking out the windows, it has the impression of a house in the trees. The north side is partially below grade with retaining walls (and added French drains to provide adequate drainage). The driveway to the manse is gravel taking off from the west end of the upper parking lot and ending in a small circle by the door. There is parking for several cars. The ground floor has four bedrooms and two baths. Those at either end are large: one 200 sq. feet with connecting full bath; the other 160 sq. feet. Two in the center are 105 sq feet each. There is a shared full bath off the hall, a laundry area with washer and dryer, and a furnace/storage room of 70 sq feet off the west bedroom. The second floor is a fairly open plan with a large living room (300 sq feet) with fireplace. Across from the hearth is an alcove (112 sq feet) with built in cabinets and shelf above. The large and attractive room has generous windows with a great view. The dining room is 146 sq feet opening into the kitchen of 122 sq feet. There is also a half bath and small closet on the second floor. The second story floors are hardwood. In addition to the main split-level entrance, there is outside doors directly to each floor. The second floor is accessed at the kitchen by a small porch and steps at the east end. The upstairs could easily and inexpensively ($2-3K) be made fully accessible by a ramp to the door from the driveway area. There are also outside doors at either end of the ground floor, into each of the end bedrooms. Either or both could be made accessible by re-grading the paths to the ground floor. Mechanicals: Wiring is barely adequate for modern electrical demands. Plumbing works but has been problematical periodically. Sewage is handled by a septic system. Should connection to the OWASA system become necessary, past estimates have been in the range of $30K. The kitchen appliances are old. The HVAC system is modern and functioning well; it was replaced in 2004. It is served by natural gas. Most windows are double pane. The shingle roof is serviceable with an estimated remaining life of 3-5 years. The hardwood floors are sound and were refinished a few years ago. The house has been rented to various tenants for many years. It is in generally sound condition. It requires some basic upgrades should it be used for other than residential purposes. There is some water damage to part of the roof edge facia board on the south side, a minor repair. Some screens and storm doors need repair and/or replacement

(June 2008-present)
The Manse has been serving as the home for our Youth programming and special events since the last renovation in Summer/Fall of 2008. The Manse is now available for rental by members.

Manse Designed by Famous Architect
GEORGE MATSUMOTO (1922- ) George Matsumoto grew up in San Francisco and attended the University of California at Berkeley in architecture. Disrupted, to put it lightly, by forcible relocation of Japanese-Americans during World War II, Matsumoto completed his undergraduate degree at Washington University in Saint Louis. With a scholarship to attend Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan, Matsumoto studied under Saarinen for his graduate degree. After graduation in 1945 with honors, he worked for Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in Chicago and in 1946 he joined Saarinen and Swanson. After a year of private practice in Kansas City (Runnells, Clark, Waugh and Matsumoto), he became an instructor at the University of Oklahoma. In 1948, Henry Kamphoefner, then head of Oklahoma's architecture program, was appointed first dean of the School of Design at North Carolina State University. Matsumoto, with several other faculty and students, left Oklahoma with Kamphoefner. He now lives in Oakland, CA. During his tenure at the School of Design between 1948 and 1961, Matsumoto won more than thirty awards for his residential work and his work was widely published. He designed a modernist addition to the school, left. Local Matsumoto houses share common characteristics: a flat roof, an unobstructed internal view from one end of the house to the other, terrazzo floors, natural woods for walls and ceilings, mahogany cabinetry, large windows in the rear, and small but highly functional kitchens. . N.B.: The ModernistHouses website includes a video interview with Matsumoto in 1997 as one of four architects who changed North Carolina. Notes from: http://www.trianglemodernisthouses.com/matsumoto.htm Compiled by George Smart, Jr. george@trianglemodernisthouses.co

Religious Education Space Needs/Manse Proposal
The Religious Education (RE) Program, which includes nursery, preschool, elementary and middle school groups, is running out of space on Sunday mornings, particularly in the 9:30 Elementary classes. The RE program already is too large for the available classrooms and in order to accommodate the size of the current program, occupies the Activity Room too. Although there was a decrease in RE attendance in 2006/07 due to the disruption caused by the building renovation, attendance numbers this year have rebounded despite the decline in attendance at the adult service. In 2008/2009 we anticipate significant growth in RE registration and attendance due to the arrival of the new minister and the impact that will have on church attendance and membership. A lack of adequate space for RE will have a negative impact on church growth next year and beyond. In addition to the lack of space for RE, the current use of the Activity Room by the RE Program makes that space unavailable as a gathering space for the coffee hour and for other church-wide events. The RE Program proposes that the Manse be converted to church use in time for the 2008/09 program to accommodate the 4-5th Grade RE and Middle School Youth Group on Sunday mornings. The RE Committee proposes that the Manse be used for Sunday morning RE until the RE Pavilion is built. It is unlikely that the RE Pavilion will be completed before 2012. Until then, the Manse could accommodate RE growth. Report Summary The Committee (task force) respectfully submits the results of its investigation, as charged by the Board, into possible uses of the church’s Manse property. This Committee is the latest iteration of what have been periodic reviews of the role of the Manse. This effort benefited from the work of a "Land Use Planning Committee" which produced a report in January 1982 on options once the Manse was no longer used as a minister's residence. The research upon which conclusions and recommendations are based is documented in report appendices.
 * Executive Summary**

When the Community Church formed in 1953, it was customary to provide a residence, called a Manse, for the minister as part of the employment contract. Initially, the church bought a house on Tenny Circle for this purpose. In 1960 a two-story, 4-bedroom house was built on 3± acres of wooded land between The Community Church and the UNC campus. The Manse is an architecturally significant structure by noted architect George Matsumoto, who also designed the original church structure, now the Jones Building. Reverend Charles Jones and his wife remained in the Manse until he retired in 1967. Due to changes in the Federal Tax Laws, it became more advantageous for members of the Ministry to be provided non-taxable housing allowances to purchase and build equity in their own homes. Thus, the Manse has not been a minister’s residence since short-term use by James Riddle, Reverend Jones’ successor. It was subsequently rented as a private residence, sold to a nonprofit (treating emotionally disturbed teenagers), repurchased and again rented as a residence. In most years that the Manse was rented, it produced a positive cash flow, reducing the mortgage principal and contributing income for the church. The mortgage was refinanced in May ‘08 to take advantage of lower interest rates. Recent residential rental rates have varied from approximately $1,000 to $1,650. The Manse is in reasonably good condition with no major repairs anticipated within the next five years. However, most systems, including plumbing, kitchen, baths and the electrical and septic systems are almost 50 years old.

Uses were evaluated with considerations which included condition and suitability of the building, location, relationship to basic principles including sustainability, and fiscal impacts. The Committee considered the following possible uses for the Manse property: • Outright sale • Conditional sale • Rental for commercial purposes • Physical relocation or demolition • Rental by nonprofit • Conversion to church space • Rental as a residence

1. Outright sale (without restrictions) requires selling a large portion of the parking lot to provide direct road frontage. (This would be unnecessary in the case of purchase by the University which owns contiguous property.) The church would lose all control over uses to which the property might be put in the future. 2. Conditional sale (with restrictions) addresses the road frontage-parking lot situation (as when sold earlier) and provides some control over future uses. It would require significant initial effort to set up and ongoing monitoring to assure compliance with restrictions. Restrictions would reduce the market value of the property. 3. Rental for commercial purposes (e.g., office, music studio) requires obtaining a modification of the church's Special Use Permit. There would be significant expense with no assurance of outcome or that a suitable tenant could be found or retained. 4. Physical relocation or demolition was considered. The house cannot be moved due to its masonry-on-slab construction. Demolition would be expensive but should be considered if the house deteriorated and restoration costs were prohibitive. 5. Rental by nonprofit is unlikely without costly remodeling. The configuration of the Manse and its location make it ill-suited for the clientele or office space for many non-profits 6. Conversion to church space addresses some current space needs until future phases of the building program are completed. Some modifications would be needed and are believed to be modest in cost. 7. Rental as a residence requires particular attention to the selection of responsible tenants. It would be necessary to develop a strong plan for rental management.

Early in its deliberations, the Committee decided to limit its time horizon to approximately five years in recognition of the evolving needs and capabilities of the church, and the dynamic history of the Manse. Thus, the recommendations below reflect the Committee's view of current and foreseeable circumstances over that period. The Committee unanimously recommends that the: 1. Church retain the Manse propert 2. Manse be used for additional church space to address needs until future building phases are completed a. to relieve overcrowding of children/youth religious education program by housing upper elementary children and middle school programs on Sunday mornings b. to free the Activity Room for church-wide use on Sunday mornings c. to provide additional program meeting space other times 3. Manse also be used as additional rental space (retreats, workshops) and/or one bedroom downstairs be rented to a church-affiliated tenant to recoup some expense 4. Manse Activity and Reserve Funds be used to support necessary modifications for this new use and to pay the mortgage and utilities for the remainder of 2008 5. Expenses for this additional church space be included in 2009 (~$1000/month) and future operations budgets until the RE Pavilion is completed or this option is no longer feasible 6. Conditional Sale option be thoroughly explored if the church should decide at some point to dispose of the Manse property 7. Entire Manse Report become part of the "institutional" paper and electronic memory 8. Congregation periodically be offered tours to acquaint itself with the Manse 9. Status of the Manse review be commissioned again in approximately five years Respectfully submitted by Manse Long-Range Use Committee, Pat Bartell, Bill Meade, Lee Schaller, Allen Spalt and Cecilia Warshaw (chair)