GREENFIELD — While Franklin County’s YMCA continues to mull the future of the vacant Zion Korean Church, the Historical Commission Thursday signaled it is likely to invoke the city’s demolition delay bylaw if the Y chooses to demolish the structure.

No official vote was taken Thursday, but Historical Commission members agreed by consensus that their preference is to preserve the building at 463 Main St. in some fashion due to its ties to the abolitionist movement.

The commission’s discussion came a week after Chair John Passiglia independently said they would consider invoking the bylaw. The other members affirmed Passiglia’s statement on Thursday.

“John, you were quoted in the paper and I feel like it represented the position of the commission very well,” said member Margo Jones. “It’s an important historic building that should be preserved if at all possible.”

According to records from the Massachusetts Cultural Resource Information System, a database featuring information on historic properties, the Greenfield Christian Scientist congregation purchased the Greek revival-style church and moved it to Greenfield in 1936. It was built as the Coldbrook Springs Baptist Church in Barre in the 1840s. The church needed to be demolished or removed from its original location to make room for the Quabbin Reservoir.

Greenfield’s demolition delay bylaw allows the Historical Commission to hold a public hearing when a demolition permit application is submitted for a “significant building.” If the commission determines the demolition of a building would be “detrimental to the historical or architectural heritage” of the city, it can place a six-month delay on the demolition while the owner makes “bona fide and reasonable efforts to locate a purchaser to preserve, rehabilitate or restore the subject building,” the ordinance states.

If those efforts are unsuccessful, then the delay lapses. The six-month stay on demolition, however, can be extended an extra six months “upon recommendation of the Greenfield Historical Commission and a majority vote of the [City] Council,” according to the ordinance.

At this point, there is no need to invoke any such bylaw because the YMCA is still determining what its plans are for the building.

“As of right now, nothing has changed as far as we know,” Passiglia said.

The Y acquired the church in spring 2023 with the help of an anonymous donor. The organization is considering whether to demolish the structure to make room for program space or renovate the building to bring it up to code. YMCA CEO Grady Vigneau has toured the structure with Passiglia and contractors as they determine their path forward.

“We’ve looked at everything and we’ve talked to the Historical Commission on several occasions. We’re in no hurry to make a decision because we don’t need to,” Vigneau previously said in an July interview. “We’re looking at all options. … We’re just trying to sort out what is the best move for us, what’s the best outcome for the city and, most importantly, what is the best outcome for the families of our community.”

As the process moves forward, Passiglia emphasized again Thursday that the YMCA has been extremely cooperative with the city.

“He reached out to us early in the game,” Passiglia said of Vigneau. “He wants to do it the right way.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.