The old Grace Methodist Church is getting some awesome new tenants!

For almost 165 years, Grace Methodist Church served the Bangor area. I imagine just about everyone who lives in the area has a story of some kind through their family history that relates to Grace Methodist. In my own family... I believe my great-grandmother played organ there. My sister was married there, and the list goes on.

Last spring, they sadly announced that they were shutting their doors after all this time due to lack of attendance, and the funds to keep it going. Other churches were pulling in much bigger numbers, while Grace just continued to decline. And the question everyone kept asking when they were shutting down, was what would happen to the building?

Today it's official..... the Thomas School of Dance is now moving into the spot, according to a Facebook post I saw from Bangor City Councilor Ben Sprague. There's been some scuttlebutt around town about it, and the dance school had to sort some zoning issues, but as now, they are open for registration at the new Union Street location.

It's really great news for everyone involved. the old church wasn't torn down. It wasn't turned into anything cheesy. It's going to serve the community through it's kids and their creativity. And that, is awesome.

More From WBZN Old Town Maine