CLEVELAND — This church is just one of the many places of worship located in Tremont, which resident Stephanie Nord would pass every day.
“This used to be the Holy Ghost Byzantine Catholic Church,” she said. “It has been vacant since 2015. Tremont has over 20 churches. Many are still up and running and we have the most churches in one square mile in the country.”
But for Nord, this church is not exactly like the others.
She owns this one.
“Last year, my fiancé and I were looking for spaces to open up my own business,” she said. “We’re in the middle of a pandemic and I decided ‘hey, someday, in five years I want to run my own business.'”
The pandemic pushed this bride-to-be to open up her own businesses this year. And the church, now called Thee Elliot is being transformed into an event space.
“You’re not looking at an old building that doesn’t have life anymore,” Nord said. “You are seeing this historic asset in Tremont that is going to bring new people in, is going to see new life, see 100 more years. And I think that’s great. I am really happy to be a part of that.”
When completed, Thee Elliot will be able to accommodate weddings and events of more than 200 people.
Although construction has been a bit chaotic, Nord said her vision for this space is clear.
“My vision for weddings is you have a ceremony upstairs, go downstairs for your cocktail hour and then we’ll flip the room and you come back upstairs and have your reception,” she said.
And what Nord loves most about the venue are the historic touches.
Thee Elliot is set to open in the fall and Nord said that is just in time.
“We want to celebrate, we want to be together,” she said. “And we are going to create that opportunity not just for the community, but for Cleveland, for anybody who wants to come and be together after this long year and a half, two years of staying apart.”
