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As Vermont churches close, debates flare up over building use

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Mikaela Lefrak
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Vermont Public
The former St. Stephen Catholic Church in Winooski, closed since 2020, is set to be demolished. This hour, Vermont Edition explores the possibilities of former worship sites.

Like many churches across the U.S., some of Vermont's are facing dwindling congregations and financial pressures. This hour, we ask, what should happen when a church closes?

Some of Vermont's churches are getting repurposed as community centers, apartments, art galleries—there's even a brewery. Others are being torn down. And some sit empty, as developers, preservationists and clergy debate next steps.

Our guests are:

  • Ron Wanamaker, acting director of Preservation Burlington and owner of Wanamaker Restoration in Burlington
  • Rachel Hellman, staff reporter at Seven Days
  • Anna Cronin, co-owner of Dirt Church Brewing Co. in East Haven
  • Anne Manner-McLarty, Saxtons River resident who, along with her husband, is renovating and living in a former Catholic church

Broadcast live on Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Mikaela Lefrak joined Vermont Public in 2021 as co-host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.
Tedra joined Vermont Public as a producer for Vermont Edition in January 2022. Before moving to Vermont, she was a journalist in New York City for 20 years. She has a master’s degree in journalism from New York University.