The Historic Derby Street Chapel

The Derby Street Chapel was constructed in 1916 by the all-volunteer congregation of the Cocoa Seventh Day Adventist Church to be used as a meeting place. The same group of volunteers expanded the building in 1923 to form the worship center and a church school for children. In 1955 it was sold to the First Church of Christ, Scientists who, in turn, sold it to the First Baptist Church of Cocoa in 1

964. For years it was used for church services, prayer meetings, youth activities, and as a distribution center for food and clothing for the needy. After the First Baptist Church built a new activities center, the charming little chapel was used for storage and fell into disrepair. In the mid-1990s, it was scheduled to be torn down to make room for a parking lot. The first committee to "Save the Chapel," formed within the First Baptist Church, was led by the passionate twosome of Juanita Baxley and Jo Barbara Kowalski. From less than a dozen original members, membership tripled over time. On June 26, 2002, the little Committee considered the offer from Cocoa Main Street, under the guidance of Ed Lanni, to make the restoration of the chapel its long-term preservation project. Cocoa Main Street officially leased the property in July 2003 for the expressed purpose of restoring and historically preserving the chapel. The historic building was restored, the multi-purpose administration building was built, and an ADA ramp and air conditioning was installed. The all-volunteer Derby Street Chapel Committee is responsible for scheduling, operating and maintaining the chapel.