The future of Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church, a 150-year-old landmark, could be placed in the hands of a new owner soon, according to several people working on the planned sale.

A coalition of philanthropies and community members under the name UNITE Mount Vernon Inc. is expected to take ownership of the church later this month, according to PraiseBuildings Religious Property Brokerage. Asbury House, the mansion next door, which was once attached to the church, is also under contract with a new buyer, the group said.

UNITE has yet to share its plans publicly for the building, including the sale price, but some residents cheered the possibility that the sale would reinvigorate the Norman-Gothic-style church.

“We are extremely excited about finding a space for the congregation to continue to worship and equally excited that the building’s architectural and historical significance will be restored and reimagined in a way we don’t know today,” said Jack Danna, president of the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association.

The church in the shadow of the Washington Monument has drawn widespread interest for its stately spires and green-hued exterior, becoming one of the most photographed buildings in the city. It’s also on the same site where in an earlier building, Francis Scott Key, the writer of the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner,” died.

Talk about a new owner and plan for the church has been a long time coming.

Its current owner, the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church, planned to sell to a New Jersey-based developer in a 2019 deal. But the sale never closed after the developer died last year, forcing the two properties back on the market. Community members and preservationists had opposed earlier vague plans to divide the buildings and flip them into for-profit and event spaces.

The Methodist conference has been searching for a buyer that will allow the congregation to continue use of the building, said Stephen J. Ferrandi, the broker at PraiseBuildings Religious Property Brokerage.

The congregation, whose numbers have fallen to 28, can’t afford to pay the bills to maintain the historic church and Asbury, Ferrandi said. So he said they wanted to find a buyer who would take over those costs, but allow for continued worship.

“I think the congregation is focused on being community-driven, and letting go of ownership of the building will enable them to better focus on that,” said Alison Burdett, the conference’s interim communications director.

According to the Methodist conference, monthly operations for the buildings about five years ago totaled $8,000 for the church and $1,000 for Asbury House.

The church had been on the market for $600,000, a relatively low price for such prime real estate because, in part, of several million dollars’ worth of expected rehabilitation costs, said Barbra Bindon, director of PraiseBuildings.

Any plans for the church will have to work within its historical status, including its place on the National Register of Historic Places inside one of the city’s own historic districts. Any exterior changes or updates to the church would need authorization from the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation.

“We work with the developer, we work with the property owner and we work with the community to move projects forward,” said Eric Holcomb, the commission’s executive director.

There is already a lot of work expected to keep the church intact. There have deteriorating stones over the years, and the repair will require skilled care and proper treatment, according to documents submitted to the National Register of Historic Places. There’s also a crumbling area of the ceiling that makes seating in the 900-person sanctuary unsafe, according to the Methodist conference.

Elizabeth Bonner, who has restored several mansions in Baltimore and is listed as a UNITE Mount Vernon board member, said she’s excited about the prospects of the church’s historic restoration. She said residents who’ve been following the project see it as an opportunity to help the entire Mount Vernon neighborhood.

“You get attached to something and you want to see it thrive,” Bonner added.