For the first time in its 38-year history, BWorks will have a permanent home.
The nonprofit, which teaches kids how to maintain and safely ride bicycles, closed on a property in the Shaw neighborhood Friday. It expects to fully move into the space next spring.
“We're really excited to have a bigger, more centrally located space that's close to a couple of amazing city parks, be on the Grand bus line and be back in our original neighborhood,” said BWorks Executive Director Patrick Van Der Tuin.
The nonprofit has rented space in Soulard for the past 15 years and had been setting aside whatever funds it could over that time to buy a building, Van Der Tuin said.
“We've been bouncing around for 38 years from space to space to space to space, and every time we move, it is extremely disruptive,” he said.
BWorks began seriously looking for real estate about three years ago. Around the same time, Compton Heights Christian Church began a series of planning meetings about its future.
The church had owned the building at 2149 S. Grand for 75 years, said Darrell Hughes, one of the congregation's lay leaders. But its members decided the time had come to sell.
“We didn’t want to continue to pour money into facilities,” Hughes said. “We thought a better use of money would be pouring it into missions and a continuation of the ministry.”
Church co-treasurer Kathy Mead said she and others were worried the new owner would tear down the building and put up more condos.
“As a church, we have always seen our building as an asset to be used for the community. So the fact that it's going to continue to be a community asset makes things feel really right and good,” she said.
BWorks was among the first groups to tour the building when it went on the market, Hughes said. The two sides were able to negotiate a deal that allowed BWorks to purchase the building outright, eliminating the need for a mortgage.
“We don't call stars aligning. We think it's a divine hand in it all,” Hughes said.
BWorks will use the sanctuary for its retail shop and volunteer workspace, Van Der Tuin said. The eight classrooms at the back of the building will house its educational programs, including Earn-A-Bike, Earn-A-Computer and Learn-To-Ride.
The space will allow those programs to continue their double-digit growth and for BWorks to add new offerings, he said.
