| The main arguments for relocating were: • The rising cost of rebuilding: the general committee and the building committee both contemplated substantial alterations to the original building, pushing estimates of the cost to rebuild beyond the amount of the insurance settlement. • The possibility of a merger with First Baptist Church of West Hartford: First Baptist appointed a special committee to discuss this possibility with members of the building committee. • Where the members of the church lived: by the day of the fire, the church’s deacon, Henry Warren, estimated that 75% of the church’s membership now lived west of Sigourney Street. • The availability of certain properties: there were apparently several, but the only one identified was 242 Fern Street, West Hartford. |