A central Lawrence home that historic preservationists have sought to save is set for demolition later this month, nixing a potential deal for a local nonprofit to use the church-owned property to house homeless families.

Larry Grant, co-chair of the church council for Central United Methodist Church, said the church’s congregation voted last week to demolish the property at 1508 Vermont St. after determining it didn’t have the finances to properly maintain the early 1900s Craftsman-style home.

Grant said a contractor has been hired to demolish the home by the end of the month. The church at one point was close to reaching a deal to use the former parsonage as a location where Family Promise could house a homeless family. But Grant said a mold problem and other issues have dissuaded the church from moving ahead with that plan.

“We’re just afraid we’re going to get into a situation where we bite off more than we can chew,” Grant said. “We have two other properties that we have to maintain. We don’t have enough money to maintain three, so one has to go.”

Historic preservationists are upset by the decision. Dennis Brown, president of the Lawrence Preservation Alliance, said the home is far from a condition that warrants demolition. The alliance has sought to broker a deal that would allow the church to maintain ownership of the property, but the alliance would become a property manager that would find a tenant for the home.

Brown said the LPA also thinks it could eradicate the mold problem in the basement by getting the sump pump hooked back up and using fans and various cleaning methods. The LPA has experience eradicating mold after it tackled a mold problem in the Turnhalle building that it purchased in East Lawrence.

Grant said the LPA and the church simply had different views on the extent of the problems facing the house. He said the mold problem has been a long standing issue, and he’s concerned it has spread to interior walls of the main floor. He said the house also has a radon issue, some lead paint, and wiring that is substandard.

The nonprofit organization Family Promise had expressed an interest in using the home as transitional housing for homeless families that are saving up money for a permanent residence. Dana Ortiz, executive director of the Lawrence Family Promise, said the group has worked out similar arrangements with other churches that have had unused parsonages. One family at a time stays at the homes — usually for several months — while they get their finances in order.

“We think we could utilize the property,”Ortiz said. “I would still love to pursue it, but we don’t have any say over what the church does with the home.”

Brown said Lawrence City Hall also doesn’t have any power to stop the demolition. The house is not on a historic register, and it is not within the environs of any historic properties. Brown said there is concern that the empty lot on the block eventually will make it easier to demolish other houses in the area in the future.

“It is not the right thing to do for the neighborhood,” Brown said. “It is not the right thing to do for the house. We walked through it and said they could have gotten $100,000 to $150,000 for the house as it is. It has been really frustrating.”

Grant said the church did not want to sell the property. The church’s parking lot basically takes up what once was the backyard for the home. Grant said the church has no desire to build parking on the home’s site, but does want to continue to own the property. He said at some point far into the future the church may want to use the property as an outreach center, a food pantry or some other type of use associated with the church.

“It has not been an easy decision,” Grant said. “There are folks in the church who really want to keep it, but they understand there is just not enough money to go around.”