Ocala City Council members have approved the demolition of a nearly 60-year-old church in downtown Ocala to begin construction of a new, multi-million dollar, 800-space parking garage in its place.
The contract to demolish Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church and an agreement to construct the new parking garage in downtown Ocala were approved by councilmembers during their regular meeting on Tuesday, December 3.
The demolition will be handled by Thomas F. Amodeo/A & A Trucking & Excavating. That company, which is based in Ocala, was contracted for approximately $104,164, which includes a $9,469 contingency.
SSC Construction Management, LLC, another Ocala-based company, will handle the construction and design of the city’s second downtown parking garage, which is estimated to cost approximately $17,481,485.70. That contract will include an additional $974,497.30 in contingencies for a grand total of $18,455,983.
According to a city staff report, the buildings that comprise the church at the existing site along SW 3rd Avenue in downtown Ocala will be demolished to make way for the garage, which will feature approximately 800 parking spaces.
During Tuesday’s meeting, several members of the church’s congregation offered public comments on the topic.
Richard A. Edwards expressed disappointment with the finality of the transaction.
“The Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church, formerly at 55 SW 3rd Avenue, a stable fixture in both the Ocala/Marion County and the state of Florida communities, having been formed from the Ocala Baptist Church over 157 years ago, is now going to be torn down, and reduced to rubble, for a parking garage,” said Edwards.
Edwards, whose father, Lorenzo, pastored the church for a half-century, said his brother and other deceased congregation members were honored with a stained-glass window in the church. Later in the meeting, City Manager Pete Lee confirmed the stained-glass window would be saved from the church.
Edwards said he believed the church received a “lowball offer,” citing negotiations over the past ten years with the city.
Edwards also suggested the church was threatened with “eminent domain,” equating the experience to how the “Native Americans felt” when their properties and lands “were taken.”
He closed his comments by asking the city to consider installing a standalone monument at the parking garage to honor the church, citing previous plans to install a plaque as insufficient.
“I don’t know about you, but, when I go to a parking garage to park, I’m looking for a place to park. And upon returning, I’m looking for my vehicle when I get ready to leave. I’m not looking for a plaque on the way,” said Edwards. He went on to state that he believed a monument would do a better job at memorializing the church.
“Dr. Lorenzo Edwards was there for 50 years. He, and many others, would like to a see a monument at that location of where Mount Moriah stood as a light and a beacon for this community,” said Edwards.
Regis Boatwright, an Ocala resident and lifelong member of the congregation, echoed Edwards’ sentiments.
“Do not, we ask, extinguish, or even minimize, or diminish, our history. A mere plaque or a cornerstone on the downtown garage is totally unacceptable. We request a permanent, freestanding monument that is easily visible from a distance. Something that can be seen. A monument that more appropriately acknowledges Mount Moriah’s legacy, its high degree of integrity, and its historic significance and contributions to the Ocala community,” said Boatwright.
In response to the public comments, Lee said the city considered several sites for the parking garage and that it never considered “eminent domain” on any of them.
Lee indicated that the city paid above the appraised value of the church and, although the city’s first offer wasn’t accepted, Lee said the city approached the church again and the second offer was accepted.
After additional discussion, city council members agreed that it was their “intention” to install a standalone monument at the property before voting unanimously to approve both measures.
Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church was constituted in 1867* by Reverend Samuel Small and 90 slaves who had been freed by the Emancipation Proclamation and withdrew from Ocala’s First Baptist Church.
Colloquially known by some as “The Mount,” the church was first established along S Pine Avenue, where the Firestone Complete Auto Care currently sits. It was the first black, Baptist congregation established in Ocala, spawning several other churches over the years.
The church eventually moved to an old building on Main Street, from 1884 to 1924, until a new frame building was erected and dedicated in 1925.
Over the decades, the Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church acquired properties on SW Fort King and SW 3rd Avenue, as well as additional properties in downtown Ocala.
Marion County property records show that the structure at 55 SW 3rd Avenue was most recently renovated in the 1960s, although it was originally erected decades before.
Currently, the church is temporarily hosting its services out of the Mary Sue Rich Community Center (1821 NW 21st Avenue).
The approval for demolition and construction of the new parking garage comes just over two months after the city began Phase 1 of its project. That kicked off a series of major detours in downtown Ocala.
The contract shows that construction of the parking garage should be complete by the summer of 2026, and the city estimates that all of the roadway projects in downtown Ocala associated with the garage will be completed by 2027.
*UPDATE: The dates associated with the establishment of Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church have been updated. The information in this article associated with the church was originally obtained from the Florida State Library Archives. After it was published, further clarification was provided by members of the congregation as to the accuracy of the dates.
