800 Sidnor Street Renovation

800 Sidnor Street Renovation Follow along as we restore and update the former Karpeles Museum, also known as the old Methodist church, located in Alvin, TX.

This building is being converted back into a church, and will be completed at some point in 2026 or 2027, D.V.

A view of the new ground floor windows, from the inside looking out. This sunny east facing room will become the nursery...
08/05/2026

A view of the new ground floor windows, from the inside looking out. This sunny east facing room will become the nursery. Does anyone know anything about the mural on the wall, with the cat? What was this room used for in the past?

The crepe myrtles are blooming beautifully, and what's that I see behind them? The basement windows are going in! The bu...
08/04/2026

The crepe myrtles are blooming beautifully, and what's that I see behind them? The basement windows are going in!

The building originally had windows on the ground level, but they were bricked over in the late 1960s. We knocked out the brick earlier this year and ordered new windows, which have finally arrived and are now being installed. It will be nice to have natural light in the basement again!

Today, the framing crew is leveling the ceiling for drywall. The trusses have some undulation from past damage. They hav...
06/10/2026

Today, the framing crew is leveling the ceiling for drywall.

The trusses have some undulation from past damage. They have been repaired & reinforced in place (on the advice of the structural engineer) but the undulation is locked in.

The framers took off the old 1x2 strips and are replacing them with 2x4s, using a laser beam to get them all straight.

The framers have been busy for the last few weeks. Classrooms, the nursery, an elevator shaft, and bathrooms have all ta...
05/14/2026

The framers have been busy for the last few weeks. Classrooms, the nursery, an elevator shaft, and bathrooms have all taken shape. Today, the plumbers got started laying drains to the new bathrooms. The main bathrooms will be located in the basement and will be much more accommodating than the tiny facilities in our current building. There will also be a small accessible bathroom located on the main level.

The brownish glass in the stained glass windows may look drab from the outside, but from the inside, it glows gold in th...
04/09/2026

The brownish glass in the stained glass windows may look drab from the outside, but from the inside, it glows gold in the light of the setting sun.

As we restore the Sidnor Street building, we are bringing it up to modern fire safety codes. One example of this is the ...
04/08/2026

As we restore the Sidnor Street building, we are bringing it up to modern fire safety codes. One example of this is the basement ceiling. We have doubled up the ceiling joists to support the weight of a new ceiling that will serve as a fire barrier between the basement and the main level. More details in photo captions!

04/07/2026

This clip is from a couple of weeks ago. The original hardwood floors on the main level had a few damaged areas from old water leaks, but were otherwise in good condition. The flooring guys salvaged wood from the balconies to repair the damaged areas on the main level. Sanding and refinishing will take place much later in the project.

The view from the balconies is great, but sadly redoing them is not in the budget at this phase, so the balconies will remain closed to the public for the time being. Perhaps at some point in the future, the balconies can be completed and re-opened.

It's concrete day! Here, our general contractor, Evan Watkins (on the right), oversees the pouring of a concrete footer ...
04/01/2026

It's concrete day! Here, our general contractor, Evan Watkins (on the right), oversees the pouring of a concrete footer to support the weight of a new elevator that will be installed later. Outside, sidewalks are going in to the new ground level entrance on Sidnor Street, and to a new fire exit on the north side of the building.

This week, the brick masons have moved on to the smaller details. One example is the northwest corner, where the bricks ...
03/31/2026

This week, the brick masons have moved on to the smaller details. One example is the northwest corner, where the bricks had been smeared with mortar during previous patch jobs. The masons have repaired some cracks and cleaned up the bricks. Looking much better! Also note the window that has been opened up below. Meanwhile, the framers are busy inside. More details to come.

The brick masons are hard at work this week opening up windows and doors that were bricked over decades ago. More detail...
03/25/2026

The brick masons are hard at work this week opening up windows and doors that were bricked over decades ago. More details in photo captions!

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800 Sidnor Street
Alvin, TX
77511

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