A Vacant West End Church Gets New Life as a Stunning Home

Photograph by Devyn Glista

Abdiel Acevedo was decidedly not in the market for a house. He had, after all, just finished extensive renovations on an Italianate on one of the most coveted streets in the West End’s Millionaire’s Row. And what he was being offered wasn’t even a house at all—it was a 7,500-square-foot church, located just a block away. So when he got the call that the property was available, he wasn’t sold. “It was a cool building,” Acevedo says. “But I’d just finished my house on Dayton Street.”

That home went on the market within weeks. And before he knew it, Acevedo was in the thick of not only a full-scale gutting, but a genuine rethinking of what a home could be. There were parts of the church that he just couldn’t part with—like the soaring pipe organ and the stained-glass windows. But there was also plenty of room to usher in the new. Bit by bit, craftsmen patched the plaster, painted walls, and built bedrooms and bathrooms where the pews once sat. Acevedo, an avid collector of all things vintage and eclectic, filled the space with Mid-Century Modern pieces, lush greenery, and decor sourced from antique stores and auctions (even getting into a bidding war with Jeff Ruby over the chandelier, which now hangs high in the kitchen rafters).

 

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The road wasn’t easy—but this brilliant homage to a piece of West End history was well worth the wait.

Photograph by Devyn Glista

1. Making a Splash

For the contemporary kitchen backsplash, Acevedo didn’t have to look far and wide. The ceramic vertical tiles were sourced from Rookwood Pottery, just down the street at Findlay Market store and studio.

Photograph by Devyn Glista

2. Inside The Snow Globe 

When the light hits just right, the stained-glass windows throw a kaleidoscope of colors across the floors. But Acevedo is partial to the snowy weather. “You feel like you’re in a snow globe,” he says.

Photograph by Devyn Glista

3. When The Curtain Falls 

The curtains separating the main second-floor living space from the front stairwell are just one of the tricks used to rein in and break up a concept that’s wide open by nature.

Photograph by Devyn Glista

4. Jungle Boogie 

When filling spaces as massive as this one, it’s easy to fall into the trap of creating a room that’s borderline lifeless. But thanks to strategically placed houseplants, the home is teeming with life and color.