Construction Firm Buys Hurricane-Damaged Church for Houston

The site of an abandoned church in Galveston County that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey is getting a second life as the headquarters of ELS Construction.

The Houston-based general contractor acquired the former First Baptist Church of Dickinson, at 2504 FM 517 Road East, with plans to redevelop the property into offices, while also creating spaces for potential retail and restaurant tenants, the Houston Business Journal reported.

James Brockway of Brockway Commercial represented ELS in the land sale, while Lisa Kurrass and Ronnie Orman of Real Estate Connection International represented First Baptist Church.

The deal materialized as ELS Construction looked for a larger office space to support its business expansion. The company, which operates out of 6,500 square feet in Nassau Bay, needed at least 10,000 square feet to accommodate new hires.

While expanding its existing office was an option, purchasing and redeveloping the vacant church proved to be a more practical solution, said Robert Swofford, ELS’s general counsel.

After receiving heavy storm damage in 2017, the church was forced to relocate, leaving the property vacant and abandoned until ELS purchased the site in June of last year. Despite acquiring the church over a year ago, work on the 44,000-square-foot former church has been slow.

ELS Construction, led by founder and president Scott McClung, secured a $2 million construction loan from Reno-based Farm Bureau Bank. The project’s total cost is estimated to be between $3 million and $3.5 million. The square footage of the project wasn’t reported.

ELS has already torn down part of the church, and it is planning a green space to retain a community-friendly feature on the site.

ELS plans to move into an 11,500-square-foot pre-engineered metal building on the east side of the property within the next eight months, while the former sanctuary building will be redeveloped into a versatile event or restaurant space. The project also includes plans to update the parking lots surrounding the property.

The church’s smaller building, currently serving as ELS’s construction office, could eventually be converted into retail space, Swofford said. The project’s architect, Friendswood-based Marcus Rives Design Build, is overseeing the renovation.

The redevelopment is just one of many projects transforming Dickinson. Nearby, Parkview, a $75 million retail center, and Bayou Village, a mixed-use development, are underway, signaling a boom in the city’s commercial real estate. The Dickinson Economic Development Corporation has also partnered with Backyard Brewing Company to bring the city its first craft brewery.

— Andrew Terrell