Or maybe it will become a unique restaurant.

Those are just two of the ideas up for consideration as Preserve Fort Dodge, a non-profit organization, seeks a new use for the 102-year-old edifice.

On Thursday evening, Preserve Fort Dodge and the Fort Dodge Historic Preservation Commission held an open house at the Municipal Building to receive some ideas from the public.

“We are looking to get some direction on a potential use for the building,” said Scotney Fenton, an architect with RDg, of Des Moines.

That firm is preparing a historic structure report which will outline how to rehabilitate the building. That report, expected to be completed next summer, will be used to help apply for grants and launch a fundraising campaign.

The former Sacred Heart Church at 211 S. 13th St. closed in 2019 in preparation for the debut of the new Holy Trinity Catholic Church on Sixth Avenue North. The building is on the National Register of Historic Places.

During Thursday’s open house, these potential new uses for the building were introduced:

• Event space

• Arts and culture facility

• Restaurant/bar

• Catering kitchen

• Collaboration space

• Non-profit support site

• Retreat space

• Wedding venue

An example of a successful redevelopment of a large old church can be found in Dubuque, according to Carissa Harvey, president of Preserve Fort Dodge. She said the site is called Steeple Square. The former church, which she said is similar in size to Sacred Heart, is now an events center. The church’s rectory is now a daycare; the former convent is a shelter for women and their children. The school associated with the church is now an apartment building.

Harvey said the redevelopment of Sacred Heart will be a multi-year project.

When actual work begins, the first step will be addressing immediate needs to prevent the building from deteriorating, she said.