School sells historic hospital

Built in 1914 as a hospital, the landmark building at 800 Hinkle Street in Clovis has once again changed ownership.

Originally built as the Santa Fe Hospital, the three story building was sold in 1949 to the Central Baptist Church, which owned it until 1993, when the Clovis Christian School bought the property.

On Wednesday, two families – the Garcia families-bought the property to house their church, Iglesia Renacer, said Edgar Garcia, the buyer's agent, assistant pastor and vice president of Iglesia Renacer.

Also owners are founding pastor and president of Iglesia Renacer, Jose L. Garcia and Patricia Garcia, also a founding pastor.

The Hinkle Street building may have been one of the largest in Clovis at the time it was built and was something of a landmark in the city, said Brett Johnson, broker for Town & Country Real Estate in Clovis. The courthouse would have also been a large building for that era.

The News has been able to confirm from speaking to the Curry County Assessor, Candace London, on Friday that the property on Hinkle Street was built in 1914 and that the county courthouse was built in 1936.

According to records in the assessor's office, the Hinkle Street property originally contained 19,690 square feet and its addition built in 1957 was 12,220 square feet. Another building on the property was built in 1964 and was 30 by 90 feet in dimension and was remodeled in 1998.

The assessor said more details are sometimes kept in the records on these properties but since the assessor's office was established in the 1960s, the Hinkle Street property, built prior to the establishment of the assessor's office, does not contain many details.

However, London said in the records is a notation from the "church secretary" that states the third building was built in 1964 and that the addition was built in 1957.

Garcia said Iglesia Renacer Church is a Christian, non-denominational Spanish-speaking church.

He said when his family started the ministry, they didn't have a lot of members. However, it has since grown.

A number of young people started coming to the church, he said. Some had "suicidal thoughts," depression, anxiety or drug and alcohol problems and were "rebellious at home."

The church started to work with these youth and God helped them with their problems, he said. "We noticed these changes in their lives and now they have purpose and they are the ones who minister to other youth."

The membership is about 80 people now, he said. The church bought the property on Hinkle Street because their old church site at 920 Sycamore Street is now too small.

He said the five-acre property they purchased from the Clovis Christian School has three stories and a sanctuary as well as a gymnasium in back of the main building. The church has to do "a lot of remodeling," so no date to open has been set.

"The main goal of the church is to better the community and better the whole area and hopefully unite our community to fight for the same thing," he said. "We want to get the youth off the streets so they will have a better purpose and a better future."

"A number of people got married at that (Central Baptist) Church and had their reception in the hall," Johnson said. "It was probably in the tens of thousands."

Pastor Michael Kirby of the Central Baptist Church said their church purchased the property in 1949 and owned it until 1993.

Judy Brandon, daughter of the longest-serving pastor in the church, Carl Scott, said her father was the pastor for 25 years from 1956 to 1980.

"I don't know this for sure but I think the nursery in the church used to be the old Santa Fe Hospital operating room," Brandon said.

"The sanctuary is gorgeous," she said. "It has big wooden beams across the top of the auditorium – the stain glass is just beautiful.

"All the steps are marble – I'm guessing" it was because marble is easier to clean in a hospital.

"I'm thrilled that the Spanish church is going to carry on the work of the Lord, just like the Christian School did," she said.

"I remember when I was a kid, the church was so full, even the balcony was full," she said. "I'll brag, (my dad) was a good preacher."

The Bible School had about 400 children, she said.

"We'd march with a Christian flag and a Bible into Bible school-but those were different times," she said.

On Wednesday nights, the church served a meal and afterward had a prayer meeting, she said.

"There's a lot of people still in Clovis now and they were there and went and experienced those Wednesday night meals," she said.