Parishioners of the 143-year-old Central Presbyterian Church hope the building will stand at least another century after a lengthy restoration that began more than two years ago.

The church, located at Queen Square in Galt, underwent more than $2.5 million in repairs after its insurance provider said it was cancelling its coverage because of extensive water damage and decay to the roof and stone exterior.

“It had to be done,” Peter Goudy, a member of the congregation told CTV News. “If there was any more deterioration, we may have had some collapse.”

Work began in April of 2020, as crews battled the social distancing and supply chain limitations that came with the pandemic.

Technical support chair, Horst Wohlgemut, said workers replaced the grout along the stone exterior, replaced and sealed the water-logged roof, and restored three stained glass windows.

“We did not cut any corners. We hired a consultant that did the work for us,” Wohlgemut said. “The church wanted to stay downtown because first of all they valued the heritage building. Secondly, we felt our mission was to serve downtown Cambridge.”

The church said one of the restored windows is over 100 years old. Miles Lauzon, who toured the church with the local Probus Club, said he was impressed with the team’s ability to keep the character of the building untouched.

“The goal of doing the restoration of the stained glass windows is to keep it exactly as it was, but cure whatever the structural problems are. The stone work outside, you just can’t get people to do that anymore. It takes a lot of work and energy to find the right people to do that,” Lauzon said.

The building has even been featured in several television series like: Handmaid’s Tale, Murdock Mysteries, and Designated Survivor.

“It’s a landmark obviously because it towers above the rest of this town so it’s always in view,” said Bob McBlain, after touring the church. “You also see it on TV a lot because it’s included in a lot of films.”

Members of the congregation said the church holds a lot of historical value in the community.

“I was baptized here when I was a baby and I’m now 74,” Goudy said. “There were a lot of good things with the structure and that’s why we decided to stay here.”

The church spent $500,000 of its own money on the project, while raising another $700,000 through community grants and local donations. Another $1.3 million still needs to be raised, which the committee hopes to do through local fundraising.