Abandoned Oakland church remodeled, now stunning home

OAKLAND, Calif. (KTVU) - An abandoned Oakland church has undergone a total makeover to become a one-of-a-kind family home.

The unique home went on the market Thursday and it's already attracting national attention. 

When Jennifer Montague Clark first walked into the abandoned church on 47th Street, she knew instantly it had potential to be a beautiful home. She and her contractor husband spent three years transforming the church into a two-story home.

"I really made a concerted effort to bring in a lot of warmth and texture to it. So, the reclaimed lumber elements, the morracan tile, the patterned wallpaper, and the brass handles. Really a lot of warmth, so it wouldn't feel like a big cavernous space," said owner Jennifer Montague Clark.

At 3,845 square feet, the house has more than four bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and an upstairs living space.

"It's about three homes into one," said Montague Clark.

The former church is a much larger home than other houses in the Temescal neighborhood off of Martin Luther King. It's listed for $899,000.

Montague Clark says she met with city officials who permitted the project of converting the church into a house.

"They really felt that if would be better served as a single family home, because it is a small street. There isn't any parking for a congregation or anything like that," she said.

In its first open house, word spread fast to potential buyers.

Zainab Saquib is a prospective buyer looking in Oakland.  "I was in another house on 46th Street and I overheard someone talking and saying this was an amazing house. I walked in here and it didn't disappoint," said Saquib.

She was so impressed that she Facetimed her husband.

"The bottom floor design is very unique when you walk in and the elevated living room at the top," she said. "My realtor said this is probably the coolest house you'll see all year."

The house even caught the attention national television home shows, but Montague Clark says she and her husband aren't interested in being reality tv stars. They just want to focus on doing more home projects in Oakland.