One of downtown Orlando’s most familiar congregations is inviting developers to take a fresh look at an entire city block, with First United Methodist Church of Orlando opening its campus to redevelopment proposals. Church leaders say the property has become underused and increasingly expensive to maintain, and they want to stay rooted in the neighborhood while scaling their footprint to better match current needs and securing long-term stewardship of the land.
The congregation has hired Foundry Commercial to circulate a formal request for proposals for the roughly 98,556-square-foot block at 142 E. Jackson Street. The RFP asks bidders to preserve key sanctuary architectural elements, provide between 20,000 and 40,000 square feet of assembly space, ensure parking for church activities, and consider deal structures that keep worship on-site, according to Foundry Commercial. Foundry notes that the church has created a dedicated RFP team to vet submissions and is open to lease or ground-lease options that would allow the ministry to continue while much of the block is reshaped.
A long history at the heart of downtown
The congregation traces its downtown presence to the 1880s and lists its current campus at 142 E. Jackson Street, home to a 1963 sanctuary and a 2012 ministries and education building, according to the church’s website. “We believe we are being called to steward this property to serve a greater purpose,” Debbie Mitchell, the church’s business administrator, told WFTV, adding that leaders hope any redevelopment respects the sanctuary’s role in Orlando’s civic life.
What the RFP could mean for downtown
Church officials say the decision to solicit proposals is driven by rising maintenance costs and shifting attendance patterns that have left parts of the campus sitting idle. As reported by Orlando Business Journal, the property’s central location, just steps from the Dr. Phillips Center and Lake Eola, makes it a strong candidate for residential, office, or mixed-use concepts that could add more momentum to development along Church Street and nearby streets.
Next steps for developers and neighbors
Foundry posted the RFP last Thursday, with submission guidelines and contact information for interested parties. The church says its internal RFP team will give priority to proposals that preserve worship space and maintain public access. The listing from Foundry identifies Matt Messier and Carlin Beekman as the primary contacts and includes the full RFP packet for potential bidders.
Any winning plan would still go through city review along with the usual zoning and permitting processes, and church leaders say they intend to keep both the congregation and the wider community in the loop as decisions are made. For now, the move sets up a closely watched test of how downtown Orlando handles adaptive reuse of long-held religious and civic properties while trying to balance preservation with growth.
