Chester church launches $83,000 drive to restore historic bell tower

Rust and age are taking a visible toll on the bell tower at First Presbyterian Church of Chester, and the congregation says the fix can no longer wait. The church has launched an $83,000 Reviving the Heart of Chester campaign to restore the exterior of its 94 Main Street building, beginning with the tower and extending to broader repairs and repainting.

The work reaches far beyond cosmetics. The current church, completed in 1854 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1998, is more than 170 years old, and the congregation says the bell tower now needs significant restoration. If the repairs are delayed, the deterioration can spread into more expensive structural problems, turning a manageable preservation project into a much larger bill for a small church to absorb.

Pastor Jonathan Hoeldtke has framed the effort as a matter of stewardship as much as preservation. The church says its goal is to keep the building both beautiful and sound for years to come, a practical challenge for a congregation of about 50 members. That small size helps explain why the church is relying on a focused capital campaign rather than waiting for a major institutional grant to arrive.

The bell tower is also one of Chester’s visual anchors. According to the church’s history, the present building is its third, and the bell that now needs restoration was added about six years after the 1854 sanctuary opened. It once served a civic function as well, summoning volunteer firemen to fires. That history makes the tower part of Chester’s identity, not just part of a church roofline.

The building’s role in downtown life is still active. First Presbyterian Church hosts community dinners, sponsors Boy Scout Troop 152, provides space for support groups and houses the Chester Community Food Pantry. Keeping the structure in good repair helps preserve a place that continues to bring people to Main Street for more than Sunday worship.

The campaign also follows a pattern of outside preservation support. In 2019, the church received a $6,000 Sacred Sites grant from the New York Landmarks Conservancy for roof, steeple and stair repairs. The conservancy’s Sacred Sites program offers matching grants for exterior restoration projects at landmarked houses of worship, underscoring how historic churches across New York State often depend on a mix of grants, congregational fundraising and steady maintenance to stay standing.