The building is in disrepair, clearly in need of an overhaul.

But it doesn't appear that's going to happen any time soon, at least according to the real estate agent handling the property and neighbors who have watched the abandoned church deteriorate.

The Holy Temple Church of the Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith at Manayunk and Monastery avenues in Roxborough is a symbol of early 20th century architecture. Its unusual aesthetic can't be denied.

What was once something beautiful to look at, however, is now an eyesore, and a potentially dangerous one at that.

"The building, for all intents and purposes, is basically abandoned," said Don Simon, who lives across the street from the church at 310 Monastery Ave., and is also a member of the Pechin-Monastery Town Watch.

The church's name is also the name of the entity that owns the property, a group based out of the Bronx, N.Y. According to the city's Board of Revision of Taxes Web site, the building was purchased for $1 in 1970.

A Bishop B. Green is listed as the owner. The Star called the Green home in New York. A woman who identified herself as the bishop's wife said she would have her husband, Belton, return a message. He never called back. He also could not be reached via cell phone.

Simon worries that the building is hazardous in its current state. A peek inside the attached home, in which a church family resided in 1995, when Simon moved to the neighborhood, shows a great deal of disrepair.

Graffiti is scrawled on the walls, both inside and out, paint is peeling, trash is strewn about, and the front door barely closes, let alone locks. Simon believes that's how some people have gained entry to the church building, which he said is in an equal state of disrepair.

"There is a gaping hole where the roof has collapsed," Simon said. "You could land a helicopter in the hole through the roof. Trusses and church beams have collapsed to the floors below."

Then there are the missing panels of stained glass windows that Simon believes have been stolen, since entire sections appear to have been removed, proving they weren't victim to a thrown rock.

It is not clear when the church ceased operations, although a look at the building's current state shows it might have been sitting vacant for more than a decade, said Dan Histon, a real estate agent with Michael Salove Co., which is handling the property.

Histon acknowledged the buildings problems, from extensive roof damage to faulty floor joists.

"It's a mess," he said. "It's really worthless as a church. It's anywhere from a half-million to a million dollars worth of work, I would imagine."

Histon said the church has been on the market for a year. The owners want $1 million for the building, a price he sees as unreasonable.

Histon has been in talks with a potential buyer, although he declined to say what type of offer has been made. Simon, citing talks with Histon, said he believes an offer of around $700,000 was made. Simon also said he spoke with Bishop Green about two years ago, who said he would like to get about $2 million for the property.

Histon said no matter what the property ends up going for, one thing's near certain: The building most likely won't be saved.

"The only interested people would want to tear it down and develop houses," he said.

Histon is not sure how many houses could fit on the lot, which he guessed to be somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 square feet.

Histon said it's a shame the church has been left to deteriorate the way it has. Aside from his work, Histon is a history buff who for years lived down the street from the building. He wanted to buy the property himself at one point, something that never panned out.

"Do I want to see it torn down? No," he said. "I'm very much into historic buildings. But there just doesn't seem to be any options.

"Everybody loves it, but nobody wants to pay any money for it," he continued. "It's in deplorable condition. They (the owners) just don't seem to get it."

Histon claims the owners recently built a "big beautiful church up there," in New York, and they are now looking for additional money to finance that project.

"It sounds like now, they're ready to make a move," he said. "We're getting close."

Aside from its condition, Histon said another reason a new owner might not want to keep the building as a church is due to the lack of onsite parking. Years ago, people walked to church in a neighborhood like Manayunk, Histon said, and buildings were constructed accordingly.

"The problem with Manayunk, in general, is it was made for horses," he said. "Who knew that we were going to need parking."

Histon said the potential buyer he's dealing with, whom he would not identify, may look to build sustainable houses, with solar panels and the like. It's a better, and less expensive option than trying to retrofit the existing building, he said, which would take a lot of work and money to bring it up to code.

Histon said many neighbors have had nothing nice to say about the church. But recently, they have grown inpatient, and are tired of looking at the vacant building, one that could be inviting to squatters.

"They're starting to get a little bit tired, because they know I have an offer on it, and they want the church to take it," he said. "I've been trying to tell the church, if you don't, you may be in more trouble with the city ... and then you have no buyer, and a possible demolition situation."

Simon, the neighbor, said he has sent letters to Bishop Green asking him to move the situation forward.

"What we're trying to do here is find a way to pressure these people, so they will sell the property, (and) it can be put to safe use," he said.

The building itself dates back to 1900, and had been home to a few different religious organizations, according to Sylvia Myers, president of the Roxborough Manayunk Wissahickon Historical Society. It originally belonged to a Dutch Reform church, which operated out of a building at Silverwood and Cotton streets in the early 1800s, until it moved to this property in 1901. That church moved out in 1969, she said, and the New York-based organization moved in.

Myers said some residents have come to her asking about the church. To her knowledge, it's not on any type of historic register, paving the way for possible, and likely, demolition.

Histon said it's unfortunate the building was left to wither away.

"It's just a disaster that place. Inside and out," he said. "It's a shame. It's a gorgeous church."

Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com