In 1926, Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church, which formed in 1895, built a grand Gothic Revival church at 238 N. Clara Ave., on 1.3 acres platted by pioneer Capt. John Rich in 1883. Now part of DeLand’s Northwest National Historic District, it cost $125,000 at the end of the Florida real estate boom, just before the 1927 land bust and the beginning of the Great Depression in 1929. The congregation held on and continued to worship and prosper. Later it became Trinity United Methodist Church and grew to over 1,000 members. In 1959, Trinity built a large addition, offering offices, classrooms, and a chapel, with George Odell Rugger of DeLand as contractor.

In recent years, faced with a declining congregation and a 90-year-old building needing constant upkeep, Trinity decided to sell the imposing structure, move to a temporary location, and build a smaller, modern church facility. In 2019 Christopher and Jessica Levings bought the aging church for $1 million. Bolstered by a background in real estate development and an added investment of several million dollars, the couple got right to work and finished the project in 18 months, with help from a team of dedicated contractors. The Levings’ put in 15-hour days themselves, while raising a family and tending to other career obligations.

Chris Levings had attended Trinity as a child and the pair wanted to honor the church’s tradition of community gathering. Guided by the ideals of conservation and reduced impact, they updated the exterior but did not change it. They named the newly repurposed structure Northwest Square, after reconfiguring its interior to offer a complex of apartments, restaurants, shops, and event spaces. Its beautiful stained-glass windows still adorn the outside and shine through on the inside. Brick walls were exposed on the interior, and all the original doors were retained. Much of the wood from the pews and the sanctuary was repurposed and used throughout the building.