TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz, U.S. Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur, two former mayors and members of Toledo City Council are all putting their weight behind saving the St. Anthony Catholic Church building.
Civic leaders will call on the Diocese of Toledo to save the historic building.
"As long as St. Anthony's Church is still standing, I cling to the hope that it can be saved," said Mayor Kapszukiewicz on Friday. "Once this historic structure is gone, it can never be replaced."
Built in the 1890s, St. Anthony was closed in 2005 and has not been used for anything other than storage space ever since.
The Catholic Diocese of Toledo plans to donate the space to the Padua Center.
The Padua Center, began by the Diocese in 2005, says on its website its mission "is to be a Christian community-based presence empowering people at all stages of life to achieve their maximum potential through education, counseling, support and community involvement."
The press conference will happen at 2 p.m.
