Million dollar home of the week: 5601 East Side Avenue in Dallas

Converted church in Junius Heights is now under a million.

Kitchen at 5601 East Side Avenue in Dallas

You’ll recall that our lovely Candy told us last April that you could get 5601 East Side Avenue, the former home of St. John’s United Methodist Church in Junius Heights — for around $1.5 million, which was, as she said, “highway robbery.”

Well, if that was still too rich for your blood, the 11-bedroom, nine-and-a-half-bath amazing church conversion is now $950,000!

5601 East Side is on the market for $950,000 — a steep drop from the original asking price of just more than $3.1 million. Ouch. Seriously! It’s a sin that this gem hasn’t sold yet! First, it’s green! No waste from teardowns! Second, it’s gorgeous! Third, it’s right next to the Santa Fe Trail and right on the edge of Lakewood! Fourth, there’s a 10-year tax abatement on the property!

(Side note: I think I’ve used up my exclamation point quota for the week. From now on, imagine every period is filled with excitement. — JE)

If $950,000 still seems like a lot to toss in the offering plate, consider that this home has tons of income potential. The property is divided into two separate living areas — the upstairs has eight bedrooms and the downstairs is a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment. You can live upstairs among the stained glass and the altar kitchen, and rent out the condo below.

I’ve always wondered what happened to old churches once a congregation outgrew a sanctuary. Sometimes they sit on the market forever until the right buyer comes along (i.e., the White Rock YMCA buying the former home of Trinity Lutheran Church). Sometimes they get bulldozed. In this case, a resourceful person did what I have always dreamed of — taking a gorgeous church built in 1908 from God’s house to anybody’s house.

And to my delight, church conversions are becoming more and more popular.

So tell me, what’s your favorite thing about this church conversion? Do you think the price is finally right, or should it be auctioned a la Champ d’Or?