Abandoned Church Turned Impressive Home

Beautiful homes have a way of charming onlookers. 

This home at 207 Davis Station Road will stop you right in your tracks.

Evolution Real Estate Partners’ Team Leader Valerie Vargas, who represented the sellers of this home in the past year, witnessed firsthand the powerful effect that the home has on its visitors. 

Its stunning structure and rich history made the house a real estate gem when it hit the market. As the listing agent, Valerie was contacted by local news and real estate platforms, including NJ.com and Realtor.com. 

“There’s a moment that happens every time someone walks through the door,” Valerie shared with NJ.com. When people enter the church-turned-home, they couldn’t help but pause to take in its astonishing features.

The 3,682 square-foot Cream Ridge home used to be the Upper Freehold Baptist Church. One of its donors was Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. 

The preservation of the church features while converting it into a living space took hard work, meticulous planning, and great appreciation for art, history, and design. 

In 2018, Monmouth County Historical Commission recognized this and granted the Murphy family, the home’s previous owners, a Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse Restoration of the Church. 

About $750,000 was spent in restoring the home. This included remodeling the electrical and plumbing systems. 

The church’s organ pipes have also been converted into a bar area in the massive main room.

Still, a lot of the original details have been retained in the present open-floorplan living space.

This includes the breathtaking stained glass windows donated by Carnegie. There are windows in almost every room of the house. The home’s distinct purple exterior was selected by the Murphy family to match the stained glass windows.

The church bell is also functional. In fact, the home’s previous owners would ring it every New Year as the clock hit midnight. The original tin ceilings of the church may be seen in the main living area, as well as in the bedrooms and other rooms.

There’s no doubt that this property is one of the most unique and charming homes in New Jersey.

We’re proud to have represented it!

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If you or someone you know is in the market for a home with a distinct appeal and rich history — or if you have one that you want to sell — get in touch with us.

We would love to help!