The American Congregational Association announced on Oct. 26 plans to seek a buyer for their historic building at 14 Beacon Street, while also planning to negotiate a long-term lease allowing The Congregational Library to remain there.

The following is from the ACA's blog post announcing the decision:

"For many years '14 Beacon Street' was the home address of American Congregationalists," the ACA said in its blog. "An eight-story office building at the top of Beacon Hill, it was built in 1898 by the American Congregational Association, an independent organization intent on providing a single space for all the scattered efforts of a denomination dedicated to the principle of decentralization."

 "At their September meeting, and after much discussion and deliberation, the board of the ACA made the difficult decision to explore the sale of the building. The ACA has engaged a real estate broker, Jones Lang LaSalle, and marketing will begin in November. Whatever the outcome of this process, the Library & Archives will remain in its present location, under a long-term lease."

The Massachusetts Conference was housed at 14 Beacon Street, known as the Congregational House, for many years before moving to the current Framingham location in the 1980s. The Metropolitan Boston Association also had its office there for many years before moving to Waltham. The Massachusetts Council of Churches and City Mission are both housed at 14 Beacon Street.

"14 Beacon is a wonderful building — and it is also over a century old. The ACA has done its best to exercise good stewardship over the years, and made a policy of renting building space to nonprofit organizations. But for a long time now, the board has been aware of pressing and expensive repairs, far beyond the ability of a nonprofit organization to address. They have reached the unavoidable conclusion that the ACA's mission is not managing real estate in downtown Boston."

Read the entire blog post here.