by Heidi Stevens

I met Kris Cobb in the winter of 2018 on the bike trail as she was collecting greens to use for her high school student’s art class wreath project. She was excited about a new project she and her husband Bill, a high school math teacher, had taken on – the renovation of St. Catherine’s, which they purchased that May. In the wake of Kris’s can-do spirit, when I got home, I cut evergreen branches in my yard to contribute to her class art project. I left the green bundle with a note and a Leeds history brochure behind the church near their parked car, easy to spot. I didn’t realize this couple from Sutton already knew quite a bit about Leeds!

The Cobbs are thrilled to have found an opportunity to be in Leeds, in part because of Bill Cobb’s family history. Bill has a personal connection to the village in that his mother’s family, Frederick and Philippine Faas resided on Chesterfield Road and survived the Mill River flood of 1874. The Faas family of 10 children worked in Critchlow’s button mill, the Emery wheel factory, and the silk mill. Frederick died in 1908 and Philippine died in 1911, the year St. Catherine’s was completed.

Many generations of Leeds residents have marked joyous and solemn occasions as a community at St. Catherine’s. The hundred plus year old church closed in January, 2007 due to a shrinking population of parishioners. St. Catherine’s church was vacant for 11 years and in need of  major repairs. 

Kris and Bill’s first goal for the building has been for preservation. They spent the summer of 2018 cutting and clearing growth from around the church and the parking lot. Kris says, they are learning as they go. Bill is quite handy already, having grown up on a farm in upstate NY where he and his family did a lot of maintenance on their property and equipment. Kris’s dad, a woodworker and fine craftsman, also offers valuable advise. The couple taps into local businesses and even YouTube for inspiration and expert advise. They repaired and pointed much of the brick foundation and Bill continues to purchase more scaffolding so that they can paint the exterior of the church. 

On one of last summer’s 90 degree days I found the Cobbs painting the front steps that had been resurfaced. Bill gave me a tour of the interior showing me their progress (He has just as much enthusiastic energy as Kris!). The interior has been cleared out, literally from floor to ceiling.  There had been rugs and kneelers that were removed as well as popcorn and drop ceilings.  In the past 2 years they filled six 20 to 30 yard dumpsters! The iron furnace had to be cut into pieces so it could be removed. The organ is still in one piece and Bill and Kris would be happy to donate it to a good home. 

The interior is big, bright, multi-leveled and full of potential. Bill even found a bell and installed it in the bell tower!  The Cobbs have many ideas for the church. They have brainstormed ideas as well as asked members of the community for their input.  Kris tells me, “So many wonderful people have walked past the church. It has been a pleasure to meet them and get their thoughts. It is exciting to think of sharing the space with the community.” Some visions are to create artist studio/workshop space, a dance hall and even a coffee shop run by local students.  The Cobbs recently had an elevation survey done of the church as the first step to figuring out possible functions and concrete renovations for the building. 

The Cobbs are thoughtful, creative, community-minded people. Whatever the future holds for the church building, it will be a wonderful new chapter for the village of Leeds. 

Even with her busy schedule, Kris  started a blog about the church renovation. You can follow it here: https://leedschurchpreservation.com/