Members of the Goodhue community curious about the renovation of the former St. Luke’s Church building were treated to an open house Sunday, January 12, 2025. The event showcased the two newly created apartments in the basement. Owners, Marc and Brittany Huneke were on hand to answer questions about the property they have named The Goodhue Sanctuary.
Brittany is a nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester and in addition to farming, Marc works for Riverland College’s Farm Business Management program. “A few weeks before the church went up for sale, we were actively looking for a rentable office space for Marc. I wasn't having any luck,” Brittany said, “but I had seen the church pop up for sale at that same time so I joked, 'We could buy the church and make you an office in there!' Surprisingly, it took a lot less convincing Marc than I thought. From there, the dreaming just sort of escalated”.
Marc and Brittany both love hosting parties. Although they did not know each other when they were in high school or college, they had each been the person organizing get-togethers for their friends. The Hunekes even hosted their own wedding on their farm East of Bellechester. They continue to welcome large outdoor events but note, “Like most people, hosting anything in the winter months is nearly impossible, which is sad because the winter time can become very depressing; it's the time of the year we need social interaction the most!”.
“I'd found myself at work constantly daydreaming and Marc started to dream about it too,” Brittany said about purchasing the church and transforming it into something that would benefit the whole community. “Days went by and I kept thinking about the church and all the potential its space could continue to bring to the community. I envisioned the pews being out, and a wide open space where children could play.” The Hunekes enjoy taking their three children, Aribella (5), Otillie (2 ½), and infant Anton to both indoor and outdoor parks and decided to pursue this vision before they would be too old to enjoy such a space. “I knew it was something we had to go for.”
The Hunekes purchased the church on February 29, 2024. Their main vision to transform the upper level into an indoor play/park-like area would have to wait. “We knew to be able to afford the upkeep—but also make our dream for the upstairs to be a community space—we would need to generate income. It seemed some form of apartment(s) in the basement would be the most sensible way.” Work began promptly but the renovation took longer than the couple had hoped. They did a lot of the work themselves but enlisted help from family, friends and 14 contractors, including an architect to comply with building codes.
Brittany said it was a learning experience and she is now tuned into the details of construction. “The first big surprise was the initial inspection when the inspectors said we would need to redo the entire basement ceiling and that it had to be two layers of sheetrock. That truly changed everything and tacked on so much more money and sweat equity. We also ended up putting in interior drain tile around a large portion of the basement. While the drain tile got done quickly and wasn't much to clean up, it was a huge additional expense.”
The original plan was to make the basement one large apartment but as the project progressed, it made sense to divide the space into two separate but connected living spaces. An interior door was included between the apartments mainly as a safety feature and way to move furniture but could also accommodate multi-generational family living.
The three-bedroom apartment is very spacious and includes the updated former church fellowship area’s kitchen; dining and multi-purpose rooms; 1.5 baths, and a full-size washer and dryer. The smaller apartment has one bedroom with a large closet, tiled shower and washer/dryer combo. All utilities and outdoor services are included in the rent and the first tenants moved into both apartments since the open house.
Visitors to the event were excited to see the progress and impressed with the phase-one outcome. St. Luke’s member, Robert Hinsch said he was glad to see the repurposing rather than tearing the building down, to which Marc jokingly replied, “There were a few times I wanted to (tear it down)”.
Over the past year, the Hunekes not only changed the church building’s purpose and grew their understanding of construction issues, they also grew their family. Just weeks after closing on the property, they learned that Brittany was pregnant and welcomed their son in December. Saying they spent “almost every spare minute of our life” at the church during the final months of the project, Brittany hopes to spend more time with their new family addition in the remaining weeks of her maternity leave.
The next phase of the renovation is still in the planning and research stage. “As for now, I'm looking forward to letting our tenants get settled in and spend these next few weeks relaxing a little. But, come spring, if the city still allows it-we are looking forward to cleaning, painting and prepping to make the upstairs useable and ready for the public to enjoy once again.”
See more before and after photos and follow the progress on The Goodhue Sanctuary Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61567031109131
