ROCK ISLAND -- After being listed for sale over the past year, the old Lincoln School and Christian Science Church on 7th Avenue are being taken off the market. However, their future is unclear.

The owner of the vacant historic landmarks -- Chris Larson of neighboring Larson Funeral Home, 2106 7th Ave. -- and Realtor Bill Adams of Mel Foster Co. decided recently to let the listings expire.

The 1894 school was offered at $275,000 and the 1917 church was listed at $295,000.

"We've had a tremendous amount of interest in both buildings," Mr. Adams said. "They are two historic buildings that should be saved."

Mr. Adams said that despite pleas from him to lower the prices, and a June 30 fire that further damaged the school, Mr. Larson would not decrease the prices.

Within the past 60 days, vandals threw rocks through some of the stained-glass windows in the church, Mr. Adams said. "That really was upsetting to me. Neither building has been maintained over the years. Unfortunately, there's been deterioration in both properties.

"Frequently, I would go in the school and it was apparent someone had been in there, doing vandalism," he said. "At one time, there was somebody living in the school and the police had to come and get that person out of the building. At that point, I told my co-listing agent I wouldn't have her show it. I feared for her safety.

"It's too bad. There are a lot of people that have fond memories of going to school there," Mr. Adams said. Potential Lincoln buyers included developers, and one that had rehabilitated historic buildings in Washington, D.C., he said.

"He knew what he was doing. In the end, he was overwhelmed" by the likely scope and cost of the renovation, Mr. Adams said.

City leaders want to preserve the old school at 2125 7th Ave. Last used as a school in 1980 and vacant for at least 12 years, the Richardsonian Romanesque building was designated a local landmark in 1984 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

In 2004, the city offered Mr. Larson $94,000 for the property, but received no reply. The city is continuing to work through an eminent domain process, which began in December 2004, to force a sale.

A court date of Aug. 20, 2007 has been set to hear the city's case for acquiring Lincoln at fair-market value, said attorney Robert Park, who represents Mr. Larson.

"We're interested in selling the building," he said. "It will either be sold, where we find a buyer, or condemnation, to receive an award for the sale of the building."

Mr. Park said he didn't know whether Mr. Larson would re-list the buildings with another real estate agent. Mr. Larson could not be reached for comment Tuesday.

In 2005, the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois put the old school on its annual list of the 10 most endangered historic places in Illinois. The list spotlights sites threatened by deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds or inappropriate development.

Council president David Bahlman said then that "as each year passes, the deterioration gets worse. It was a case of now or never. The fact the city is watching carefully now and seeking to condemn it added to the urgency."

Mr. Adams said showing the building has been very difficult, due to its damage, and state of disrepair.

The ground floor is "completely dark" because of boarded-up windows and lack of electricity, he said. Plus, there's a lot of debris in the form of architectural artifacts such as wood and windows, Mr. Adams said.

Even if the city acquires it, the task for developers is daunting.

"The city may have a different starting point on asking price to get it going," Mr. Adams said. "The price we had, whether fair or not, I really can't say. Most people looked at the project, looked at what it was going to take, and it's hard to say the asking price was the deal breaker."

Rock Island wants to save the property from further deterioration and clean up the grounds. Renovation estimates have been put in the millions. A local group, Lincoln Community Resource Corp., has proposed transforming the building into a public marketplace -- with a restaurant, specialty shops, boutiques, and museum.

"The building is deteriorating. As it stands, it is a blight," said Diane Oestreich of the city Preservation Commission. "The city doesn't want to tear it down. There have been people interested. The city is not a developer. The city would try and find someone. There has been serious interest in the past."

The First Church of Christ Scientist at 700 22nd St. actually may be a bigger hurdle, Mr. Adams said. "The church is more problematical in terms of re-use. It doesn't convey easily to being retail, office, or another re-use.

"Generally, there are quite a few congregations in the Quad-Cities that are looking for permanent homes," Mr. Adams said, but there's not much parking available there.

One potential buyer thought about converting the church to a banquet hall, but would need more parking, he said.

"Another challenge for a congregation, you have a church building that just eats money," Mr. Adams said. "These older churches are very difficult to maintain."

After the Preservation Commission designated the property a local landmark in 1994, it briefly housed the Prairie Academy of Music and the Arts.

INFOBOX

To learn more about these landmarks, visit www.rigov.org/citydepartments/ced/historicpreservation.html.