See How a Man Turned an Abandoned Church Into a $200-a-Night Airbnb

When he saw its price drop, he asked for a tour. “I had absolutely no idea what to do with a church,” Rooney said, “but I really wanted to see it.”

The 137-year-old church in South Minneapolis, a few blocks outside the trendy Uptown neighborhood, had been used by Episcopalian and Lutheran congregations.

In 1927, it became the spiritual home of St. Francis Parish, a Liberal Catholic congregation. But as years passed, the popularity of the Liberal Catholic parish dwindled.

The last service performed in the space was during Easter of 2020. When he toured it that fall, Rooney was in awe of the space.

Rooney, who grew up Roman Catholic, then met with Father Richard Curney, who oversaw the parish’s closing. Curney assured him the space was deconsecrated and ready for its next chapter.

Rooney bought the church for $275,000 in December 2020. Other interested groups had proposed converting the space into apartments or tearing it down entirely, but Rooney was committed to preserving its history.

Six months into what ended up being a two-year project, Rooney said he had second thoughts. “If I would have known how much work and time it would have taken, I’m not sure I would have done it,” he said.

Rooney, a real-estate investor who owns two other short-term rentals as well as some long-term rentals, said the project was a real “leap of faith.”

“This gets my attention in the evening and on the weekends. But I’ve been doing it long enough that I have the best portfolio of ‘help’ to make things happen,” he wrote in an email. “I struggle to screw in a lightbulb, and I’ve always told myself I won’t ever do real estate if it affects how I do my day job.  That’s number one, and this is a hobby. But one I really enjoy and I’m pretty good at.”

A massive fire in the 1980s caused the roof to collapse into the chapel. Part of the altar survived and remains in the Airbnb. Rooney posted a newspaper article about the fire in the space so visitors could learn its history.

In 2022, he was thrilled when the certificate of occupancy was approved and he could post the property on Airbnb and other short-term-rental booking sites.

Rooney preserved pews, artifacts, and even priests’ private mementos. He placed them in the space — repurposing some as furniture and decor — to pay homage to its history.

The building remains a sacred place despite its new purpose, Rooney said. “It still elicits a certain kind of feeling when you walk in,” he added. “It’s peaceful and quiet.”