Downtown Camas church being demolished to make way for mixed-use compex

Hudson East development to have ground-floor retail, more than 50 apartments

Demolition of the historic Camas First Christian Church at the corner of Northeast Cedar Street and Northeast Sixth Avenue in downtown Camas (pictured April 21, 2023), started this week to make way for a mixed-use development slated to have ground-floor retail and more than 50 apartments.

Demolition of the historic Camas First Christian Church at the corner of Northeast Cedar Street and Northeast Sixth Avenue in downtown Camas started this week.

According to the Northwest College of the Bible, the unique hexagonal church — located across from the Squeeze and Grind cafe at 404 N.E. Sixth Ave., in Camas — was built in 1912 and started with a congregation of just 15 people.

The Camas-Washougal Post-Record’s Buyer’s Bonus Section, published Feb. 24, 1987, reported that the church’s hexagonal design “was inspired by the design of (Disciples of Christ founder) Alexander Campbell’s famous windowless study next to his home in Bethany, West Virginia.”

The former church is being demolished to make room for a new mixed-use development in downtown Camas. The multi-story Hudson East apartment complex will boast ground-floor retail, 56 multifamily apartments and on-site, “tuck-under” parking.

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