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Church and estate

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Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
St. Stephen's Church on the corner of 57th Street and South Blackstone Avenue was placed on the market in early April after being repossessed.
Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
A few signs of day-to-day life remain, but the ceiling is often falling in on them.
Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
A Sergio & Banks contractor, who declined to give his name, said he has been patching up holes in the roof and windows for a year and estimated repairs and renovations would cost a new owner over $1 million.
Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
Students, and perhaps others, have been breaking into the building for years, despite the owners' best attempts to seal it; empty beer and spray-paint cans are strewn about the dusty floors, and there was a sleeping bag in one second-level room.
Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
When it's not, they're covered over by graffiti.
Photo: Camille van Horne/The Chicago Maroon
St. Stephen's sanctuary held Church of Christ Scientist services before it was sold in the 1960s to a small black congregation, but it is now stripped bare except for the plaster left by a leaky roof and intruders' trash.

Boarded-up and destitute on the corner of East 57th Street and South Blackstone for years, St. Stephen's Church is finally up for sale, after its former owner declared bankruptcy. With a complicated zoning agreement in place that prevents large—and more profitable—structures from being built, the building has lain dormant. But a colorful new sign posted by Sergio & Banks Real Estate adorns the overgrown lawn letting potential buyers know the building is on the market, and many have inquired about the building, according to real estate agent Cynthia Rogan. The building has been appraised at $1.7 million (although the price isn't set in stone), but developing the dilapidated site could require much more. "It's a challenging piece," Rogan said. "No doubt about it."


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