Did Beyoncé buy a century-old church in New Orleans?
TMZ reported on Sunday, without citing sources, that Queen Bey snatched up the church at 2930 Camp St. in the city’s Garden District.
"The New Orleans church – which is more than 100 years old – was listed at $850,000 (U.S.) ... but it's unclear if she got a divine discount,” the website claimed. “We’re told Beyonce's church was built in the early 1900s, but has been out of commission as a place of worship for some time.”
The 7,500-square-foot church, which boasts a 2,000-square-foot chapel with 18-foot ceilings, is zoned for residential use but can also be used as a place of worship, “historic neighbourhood commercial" establishment or “recreational” facility. It reportedly needs extensive repairs and upgrades.
So, did Beyoncé really buy a church?
“No, Beyoncé didn’t buy this church,” reads a headline at Curbed New Orleans. “But it does have ties to the Knowles family.”
According to municipal records, First Christian Church In New Orleans and Seventh & Camp Church of Christ transferred the property on May 9 to Noble Jones Trust for $100 (U.S.). The Trust was represented by Vernell Jackson Keys, a longtime friend of Beyoncé’s mother Tina Knowles.
The Orleans Parish Assessor’s Office recorded the mailing address for Noble Jones Trust as 927 St. Ann Street, a residential building in the French Quarter that the Trust purchased in 2014 for a reported $1.4 million (U.S.). Once the home of singer Frank Ocean, it is where Beyoncé’s sister Solange apparently lives.
The seller’s agent John Weil declined to reveal the buyer, telling the New Orleans Advocate he is “sworn to secrecy,” and the buyer’s agent Josline Frank reportedly hung up on a reporter who asked about the deal.
About five blocks away from the Camp St. property sits another former church that was sold in 2015 to Sugarcane Park, a company registered to Parkwood Entertainment LLC – Beyoncé’s management company.