(This historical and quaint little chapel is located at the south end of Brevard Avenue at the corner of Derby Street in Cocoa, Florida.)
Built between 1916 and 1920 by the Seventh Day Adventist Church, it was sold to First Church of Christ, Scientist, in 1955.
It was then sold to the First Baptist Church of Cocoa in 1964, which used it for children’s activities and as a distribution center for the needy. When the First Baptist Church completed its new Christian Activities Center, the chapel building was pegged for destruction. A few women from the church formed a committee to save this historic building. An architect from the Division of Historical Resources in Tallahassee evaluated the building. It was his professional opinion that there is no other chapel in Florida exactly like the Derby Street Chapel. It is a treasure.
(Double click on pictures to enlarge.)
Cocoa Main Street is a volunteer, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting our city, revitalization, economic development, and historic preservation. Cocoa Main Street arranged to lease the chapel for 25 years in order to restore the building and bring it into useable condition in accordance with current standards. It will then be used as a community building and rented out for ceremonies, such as weddings, educational seminars and tours, small concerts and recitals, and many more uses.
The construction is being done in two phases: (1) restoring the building itself (almost done), and (2) adding access to the chapel for the handicapped as well as handicap accessible restrooms with air conditioning and heating. The third phase of the project will be development of landscaping under the guidance of the Cocoa-Rockledge Garden Club.
For further information concerning the restoration of the Derby Street Chapel, contact the Cocoa Main Street office at (321)633-0806.