Merriman Anderson Architects has begun the second phase of renovation to two historic churches on South Ewing.
The original Gospel Lighthouse Church, and the adjacent second iteration of that church, are being repurposed for Dream Center Dallas, a ministry that addresses “immediate and long-term needs in the areas of homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, abuse, education and human trafficking.”
The nonprofit is a partner of Church Eleven32.
Renovation plans also include a coffee shop.
The renovations include the conversion of the historic two-story church building to Dream Center Dallas’ meeting hall, offices, and a large commercial kitchen and food service. An existing one-story single family home on the property will be completely renovated, due to damage in the interior by a recent fire, and transformed into a coffee shop. Both buildings are adjacent to the Gospel Lighthouse Church sanctuary building, the original Gospel Lighthouse church, which is currently under construction to be used for Dream Center functions.
Merriman Anderson also is working on “water infiltration and adding an elevator for accessibility needs for the historic two-story building. The restrooms are being reconfigured and redesigned, and the kitchen will receive a complete renovation. The whole building will undergo remediation and refinishing.”
The original Gospel Lighthouse Church was constructed in about 1940, and the larger second church was built around 1950 at 1900 S. Ewing.
It was the vision of the Rev. J.C. Hibbard, who started out as a tent revival preacher and went on to a career in radio and TV evangelism, besides building these two churches.
Hibbard’s congregation grew to 1,200 in 10 years, and in 1972, it moved to West Illinois at Texas 12 Loop, where it is to this day.
“Our team is honored to renovate these historic buildings in Dallas and provide a home for the support Dream Center Dallas provides to our community,” Merriman Anderson Architects principal and team leader Jennifer Picquet-Reyes stated in a release.
The architects is collaborating with the Texas Historical Commission to ensure their work adheres to historic building standards, since it is part of the State of Texas Historic Tax Credit program.
A similar looking church, Zion Hill Missionary Baptist, is also being preserved in the same neighborhood, about a mile away.
Here’s more about Dream Center Dallas:
The Dream Center first began in Los Angeles in 1994, serving as a resource center focused on providing support to those affected by homelessness, hunger, and lack of education through residential and community outreach programs. In 2020, Pastors Dustin and Jamie Bates established Dream Center Dallas … to provide resources and services in the areas of education, homelessness, hunger, poverty, addiction, abuse and human trafficking within Dallas.
