City Church To Become Rock Climbing Gym

A former Saint John church will undergo a massive transformation over several months.

Saint John the Baptist Church on Broad Street will become an indoor rock climbing gym called Climb 1884. The number reflects the year the church was built.

David and Mary-Gwen Alston, owners of Timber Top Adventures in Dominion Park, bought the church in June.

“When the church actually came up and we walked through we went, ‘Oh, this is it’. Such a beautiful spot, beautiful stained glass, amazing gothic architecture and incredibly high ceilings at 42 feet. This would be a perfect location for a climbing wall,” Alston said.

The church came with the rectory in the sale but, Alston said they won’t need it so, it’s going back on the market immediately.

Alston said their facility will not be a bouldering gym which is usually done on a wall that is no more than 15-feet off the ground.

Climb 1884 will be a rope gym where people wear a harness connected to ropes or an auto belay allowing people to climb much higher within the gym.

“Our goal is to complement the climbing that exists here in New Brunswick. We’re not going to be focused on bouldering because that is well-covered. We’re going to be focused on auto-belay, top rope, lead climbing and the newly popular speed climbing. As people watch the sport climbing at the games in Toyko this week, they are going to see those three genres; bouldering, lead climbing and speed climbing. We’ll be focusing on two of those,” Alston said.

Alston said the design plans will protect the stained glass windows.

“There are going to be structures that are mostly against either walls that don’t have windows or freestanding inside the church away from the windows. That way you get this beautiful light coming in from the stained glass,” Alston said.

He also has takers for several pews from the church but. some will be used in the gym.

The 137-year-old structure will need a new roof and a modern heating system among other improvements.

Between repairs and new construction, Alston expects Climb 1884 will open in Spring 2022.