DETROIT—The Knights of Columbus plans to buy the financially troubled Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C., in a $22.7 million deal involving the Archdiocese of Detroit.
The agreement was announced Tuesday in Denver at a Knights of Columbus convention. The New Haven, Conn.-based Catholic lay organization plans to expand exhibits about the late pope and hold events at the facility.
The Archdiocese of Detroit expects to get about $20 million from the Cultural Center’s foundation from the sale, and the Catholic University of America will get the rest. The sale will allow the Archdiocese of Detroit to recoup some of the $54 million it invested in the center.
“The sale will enable us to recoup some of what we invested and will end archdiocesan outlays averaging $65,000 per month to maintain the building and grounds,” Vigneron wrote in a letter about the deal. “The … cash we receive will help stabilize archdiocesan finances.”
The 130,000-square-foot building has been mostly closed for years, open by appointment only.
The deal is expected to be finalized within 60 days.
