First Baptist Church officials have decided to demolish the recreation center building that suffered fire damage in April and use the site, located on the northwest corner of Seventh Avenue South and McGavock Street, for surface parking.

Frank R. Lewis, FBC senior pastor, said to have replaced the structure could have cost approximately $1 million.

“Most of the ministries that took place in the recreation center will continue in other parts of our campus,” said Lewis, whose church is planning a campus master plan for a major redevelopment of its SoBro property.

Lewis said the church’s property management committee has not awarded a contract for the demolition but hopes to do so soon.

Full-scale work on Phase I of the new-look FBC might not begin until 2014. Lewis said the congregation has elected a steering committee, chaired by Hugh Sloan, that will begin its work next month in the hopes of presenting a recommendation to the congregation in the fall.

“A two-year window of time to plan and approve a project that will serve the Nashville community for another 50 to 70 years is not very long into the future for us,” Lewis said. “Bottom line is, we have an opportunity to provide a safer and more efficient space for needs in our downtown community.”