Nancy Byers at the former Methodist Church, which will become Stone Arch Arts and Events Center in Saline later this month.

Angela Cesere | AnnArbor.com

Editor's note: This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Nancy Byers' name and the age of the building.

The old Methodist Church in Saline at Henry and Ann Arbor roads, formerly the home of the Calico Cat gift shop, will soon become a new events center.

Nancy Byers, along with her husband, Walt, is one of six investors from Saline who own the 7,000-square-foot former church that was built in 1899. The investors hope the events center will feature art, music and dance events, family celebrations such as weddings and corporate gatherings.

The center will open later this month, as soon as renovations are finished. Renovations include new plaster and carpets, refurbished wood floors and freshly painted walls.

The six investors have owned the building for the past six years. The group first wanted to create a restaurant, but Byrne said prospective restaurant owners hesitated because of the tough economy.

“It’s a beautiful building,” Byers said. “We just hated the thought of it falling apart or even being sold and turned into office cubicles. We just kept trying to think of things we could do to preserve it.”

An events center seemed a natural fit. “During the time that we’ve owned the building we’ve had regular calls from people who have wanted to use the building for one event or another,” Byers said, such as weddings and the Chamber of Commerce’s Santa Claus event for children during Christmastime.

“We started thinking that maybe an events center would be a good use of the building,” Byers said.

It will be called the Stone Arch Arts and Events Center. Stone Arch,LLC is almost officially a new business owned and operated by Byers and her husband (they still have some paperwork to finish up). Stone Arch LLC is leasing the space from the group of investors.

For now, Byers and her husband are the sole employees and owners of Stone Arch, LLC.

Byers said the center can accommodate 125 to 150 people seated at tables, and about 200 seated in rows. She said she hasn’t established rental fees yet, but the plan is to charge more for weekends, larger events, and summer events.

A handful of events are already scheduled. This fall, an art show in the center will showcase 15 Saline artists as part of the Washtenaw County Art Walk. The center will also host a “Victorian Haunting” around Halloween and a mosaic workshop put on by Ann Arbor’s Budding Art Ideas. These three events will be open to the public. Byers also said a bride-to-be has already inquired about a wedding next summer.

Byers hopes the events center will partner with other businesses in Saline, such as restaurants, caterers and photographers. “We’d like to partner with any of the businesses downtown that we can,” she said.

Aside from one short-lived children’s play place called Beanstalks, the 111-year-old building has been empty for the past six years. The building housed the Methodist Church until 1990, when the church moved to a larger space. And then it was home to the Calico Cat.

Byers and her husband plan to launch a website for Stone Arch LLC this month. Until then, Byers said anyone interested in renting the space may contact her at (734) 429-4221.