ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, Fla. – You may have driven by the historic Altamonte Chapel on State Road 436 countless times and never known its story. The building is one of the oldest in Seminole County, but after all of those years the bell tower is on the brink of collapse.
Serina Colon, who manages the office and grounds, told our News 6 team that the small congregation has put everything they have into restoring the chapel, but during renovations last year they discovered the damage.
“We got through all of it we were like, ‘It looks so beautiful, but what is that?’” said Colon. “And we looked up to the bell tower and you could see kind of like a little dark mark on the side of it.”
Colon says they had the structure evaluated and it confirmed their fear that after all of the repairs they had recently done, the bell tower was in danger, too. The Chapel’s board of directors says the bell tower needs to be fully replaced, a task that Colon estimates will cost around $50,000 — double what the small congregation spent on renovations in 2024.
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“It’s really expensive to do this type of work,” said Colon. “To take the bell tower completely down, rebuild it, and reinstall it, and then kind of operate around what our normal church life is, it’s going to be an undertaking.”
Colon says they are currently seeking bids for the work, but they really need the community’s help to keep the bell tower intact and honor the history of the 139-year-old chapel.
The chapel was originally built in 1885 as the Lake Brantley Union Church. It was designed by a Boston architect and settlers from New England would worship there during the winter months.
“It was kind of set as a winter community church, so people would come down from the New England area,” said Colon. “The community that lived there and built the chapel built it because they were using it while they were tending to their orange grove fields.”
In 1898, a hard freeze destroyed the citrus groves and a lot of the settlers moved back north and left the chapel abandoned. It was eventually reverted back to the original landowners, who then used it as collateral for their daughters to attend Rollins College. By 1905, Colon said another family found the chapel and purchased it from the college and decided to move it to the Altamonte area.
Colon said it was disassembled and moved by horse and wagon, piece by piece, down S.R. 436 when it was just a dirt road.
“Its second location was actually right across the fountain where our main sanctuary sits. So, it sat there, doors facing 436 from 1905 to maybe the late 1960s where we outgrew it as a congregation,” said Colon. “Then it was picked up again and moved to this current location.”
Colon said the bell was forged when the chapel was moved to Altamonte. In the early 1900′s the steeple was constructed and the bell was placed, and it’s been there ever since.
Colon showed our News 6 crew the inside of the chapel which still has original wooden pews and stained-glass windows. Even though the damage to the bell tower structure is severe, the bell still rings on Sundays to call the community to worship and at weddings.
Colon, who is also an event planner, says they host about 30 weddings each year, and it’s become a big part of what keeps the church operating.
“We love to do weddings here, and that is a big part of our ministry. At the end of every wedding they ring the bell,” said Colon. “Every photographer gets a wonderful shot of the bride and the groom ringing the bell. The family cheers, and it’s something that we don’t want to lose. It’s a big part of who we are.”
Colon’s connection to the bell and chapel is both professional and personal. She shared that she had a ceremony there for her one-year wedding anniversary, and just recently renewed her vows this past January.
“My husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage, and we have a son now. We rang the bell again,” said Colon. “I love this church and I think everybody who comes here can feel God in this building and know they are loved when they come here, and I hope this church always stays here for the community, because the original name is ‘Altamonte Chapel, a community church.’ So, I pray it remains that way for the future.”
Colon says that is why they are calling on the community for help. There is a GoFundMe page named “Save the Altamonte Chapel Bell” where the group hopes to raise $50,000.
“With God’s grace we’re hoping to get help from the community, and even possibly if there’s a company that’s willing to help us, because this is a huge part of the community,” said Colon. “You know, this is Altamonte Chapel, Altamonte Springs.”