History of the Greystone Church

History of the Greystone Church. (July 2005). , The original wooden church was built by the United Presbyterians in 1899 for $4,000. In 1913, the building was moved to the back of the lot with a brick addition built in front. The entire church was then veneered with Tenino sandstone for $50,000., Besides unique architecture, the Greystone was renowned for its beautiful stained glass windows and a pipe organ. Except for 3 large windows, the others were mostly broken by vandals or taken by previous owners. Six windows were restored from broken glass and the others were reconstructed from period glass. The 1935 Kimball pipe organ had both steel and wooden pipes. The pipes were housed in a loft near the center stone tower. Unfortunately, due to a leaking roof, the underlying beams rotted, the stone tower partially collapsed and the water and pigeons destroyed the pipes and the organ. A few pipes, along with other artifacts, are housed in a private museum within the Greystone., The Catholic diocese later purchased the Greystone and ownership passed to several developers who did little to protect it. Except for volunteer Richard Domey, who helped save it, it was vacant and sadly neglected for 25 years when Glenn and Melodie Petry of Pullman purchased it in April 2004. The Petrys started to protect the building even before owning it by hiring a contractor to "shore" up the badly deteriorated beams which were collapsing from heavy snow. Restoration work began on the day of purchase and was painstaking guided by Mike Cerutti. Every effort was made to keep the original exterior and to finish the interior consistent with the early 1900s style. The renovation was completed in July 2005. Stone from it is used on this monument, an entry sign to the City of Pullman and the Petry Natural Area Park near Stadium Way.