Former JC Penney location in Marquette purchased by local church

MARQUETTE — The former JC Penney property located in Westwood Mall has been purchased by a local church.

Northiron Church, with a main location in Ishpeming, is purchasing the property to accommodate its growing number of members.

The church originally purchased land adjacent to the mall, with the intention to build a permanent structure for their congregation in Marquette, until the previous owner of the mall came to them and proposed the purchasing of available space.

“We started a service in Marquette,” said Travis Ryan, assistant pastor at the church. “We’ve been running at North Star since July of 2018, and we’ve outgrown that space, and we just need more room. We’re excited to take the next step and remodel and move forward with a permanent location for ourselves in JC Penney’s.”

Demolition and remodeling of the inside of the space will begin in the coming weeks, while the goal is to start holding service in the fall, however they hope to finish much sooner.

Programs that are offered in their Ishpeming location, including divorce care, recovery programs, grief sharing and others, will be offered in their new location upon opening.

For more information about the church, visit their website here.