The Chandler Street church, which has served as a Nashua landmark for more than a century, is being recognized by the New Hampshire Preservation Alliance as one of 2016’s “Seven to Save.”

“We’re trying to bring attention to all of the special landmarks all over the state,” said Jennifer Goodman, the executive director of the preservation alliance.

The church, which was built in 1895, started as a Roman Catholic Church known as St. Francis Xavier. It served the French Canadian immigrant population of the city in an area known as French Hill. Today, the church building is owned by the Orthodox Coptic community and is called St. Mary and Archangel Michael Orthodox Coptic Church.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nashua closed the church in 2003. In 2006, Nashua developer and landlord Vatche Manoukian bought the building for $1 million, though he later sold the property to the Coptic church, based in Massachusetts.

The alliance puts out a list of seven buildings in New Hampshire of historic value that are in need of care, as well as funding and repair. St. Mary and Archangel Michael’s inclusion on the list is a result of community and City Hall support, Goodman said.

“It’s an example of interest coming from the congregation and the city as well,” Goodman said.

James Vayo, the city’s downtown specialist with the planning and development department, said an initiative led by PlanNH identified the building as a structure in need of help, with cracked exterior and other structural issues. The building is a community asset, Vayo said, though it is likely in need of repairs to safeguard it for the future.

Goodman said that the “Seven to Save” program, which started in 2006, has help communities save properties just like the church. Now that it is included on the list, the congregation at St. Mary and Archangel Michael, as well as city planners, can start applying for grants to get an assessment of the building done, Vayo said. The assessment will be the first step in process to preserve the building, he said.

Goodman describes the church as the most visible landmark in downtown Nashua.

“Perched high above French Hill with its steeples visible from many points in the city … with a height of 185 feet, this ‘Norman cathedral’ is the fifth tallest structure in the state of New Hampshire, and has been deemed the ‘most commanding’ structure in the city of Nashua,” Goodman said in prepared remarks Tuesday.

The building is also showing signs of age and wear. A professional assessment is needed immediately to evaluate the cracked stone visible on the building exterior, which could indicate an impending catastrophic failure, she said. The property requires continual maintenance and replacement of flashing, custom-made windows, and other deteriorated structural elements due to water intrusion.

“While the congregation has worked to address the needs of this massive structure, there are financial limitations, and an ongoing preservation plan is now necessary,” Goodman said.

The Preservation Alliance is also looking to save the Kelley Corner School in Gilmanton, the Meredith Public Library, the Aston-Lessard Barn in Shelburne, the Sanborn House in Wakefield, the Coos County Farm in West Stewartstown, and the New Hampshire Coastal Historic Resources on the Seacoast. Goodman is hopeful that the efforts will pay off for these seven sites, as they have for past sites placed on the list.

“We consider over half of the properties named to the list since 2006 out of danger and ‘saved,’?” she said.

Damien Fisher can be reached at 594-6531 or dfisher@nashuatelegraph.com.