The former Ogilville United Methodist Church at 9250 S. State Road 58 now serves dinner four nights a week. The smaller building behind it opens at 7 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and 9 a.m. on weekends for coffee, pastries and pay-by-the-ounce craft beer. Together the two buildings are called The Property, and most of what you'll see when you pull in was settled at county zoning hearings before any renovation began. That includes the size of the lot, the buffer along one edge and the lane that runs past a cemetery to the back of the site.
A restaurant on land zoned for farming
The site in Ohio Township is zoned Agriculture: General Rural, and the county's planning staff report shows the restaurant use needed a use variance from the Bartholomew County Board of Zoning Appeals.
The first request was small. In October 2023, the board approved a café in the church's auxiliary building only, and the church itself was left for a later phase. The Republic reported that some neighboring owners spoke up about noise, traffic, property rights and keeping the area rural.
The developer, a local woman named Cari Roberts, came back in 2024 with a bigger plan. At that hearing she said the original phased plan might not be financially viable and that she had gone back over it. In The Republic's account, she concluded after working through the design that it made more sense to renovate the auxiliary building and the church together, rather than one after the other.
Why a church lot grew to nearly ten acres
The project needed a septic system, and the original parcel was too small for it. To make room, an administrative subdivision expanded the parcel from 1.55 acres to 9.71 acres, according to a planning staff report cited by The Republic.
The board approved the expanded variance 5–0 on May 29, 2024. The meeting minutes say no one spoke during public comment that night. The approval came with conditions that still shape the site today:
- A buffer along the southwestern property line, where the lot meets a neighboring home.
- State verification that an adequate septic system can and will be built.
- A limit on scope. The variance covers only the redevelopment of the auxiliary building, the church and the outdoor amenities.
- An open access lane. A 35-foot-wide easement across a neighboring cemetery to the back of the property must stay unobstructed.
So the large lot exists to make room for the septic system, and the screening and the clear lane past the cemetery were both required by the county. The rest of the build was planned around those conditions.
From hearing to opening took a while:
- October 2023. The BZA approves a café in the auxiliary building only.
- May 29, 2024. An expanded variance adds the church restaurant and the outdoor spaces.
- February 28, 2026. A construction update covers site and structural work and sets a spring 2026 opening target.
- March 1, 2026. The church's original arched windows and reclaimed hardwood floors are being restored.
- Wednesday, August 19, 2026. The announced grand opening of The Annex Café & Market, at 6 a.m.
The spring target slipped into late summer.
What the church became inside
The Republic dates the building to 1904. County planning staff noted that it appears in the earliest aerial photos they had, from 1937. Back in 2024, Roberts described the planned restaurant as having the feel of a "Henry Social Club" with "Story Inn" quaintness. She called the church a "treasure trove of historical value" and said she meant to preserve it, as The Republic reported.
The restaurant goes by The Church. Its executive chef, Chris Morrison, is a Columbus native with 24 years in food and hospitality. Dinner is by reservation only, with seatings at 5:30, 7:00 and 8:30 p.m. The menu changes with the day of the week:
- Wednesday and Thursday are à la carte. You can order an 8-ounce Indiana sirloin for $24 or go up to a 14-ounce ribeye at $68. Other mains include a catfish roulade with bacon, crawfish and corn chutney for $39, and a pork chop with persimmon glaze for $44. All sides are $11, including the "60/40 potatoes," named for their ratio of 60% potato to 40% butter and cream.
- Friday and Saturday bring a five-course tasting menu for $125 per person. It runs from Caesar salad or hummus to a ribeye with foie gras and ends with pineapple crème brûlée. Large-format dishes are also listed for those nights, including a $250 bone-in tomahawk with two sides.
- The bar has its own, more casual menu. It includes A5 wagyu sliders for $28, bone marrow with onion jam for $21 and a smoked salmon dip for $17.
The Annex is where the original café plan ended up
The café from the 2023 variance became The Annex Café & Market. It sits in the back of the property. In her 2024 memo to the planning department, Roberts described it as a community space where people could hold meetings or work away from home, with free Wi-Fi, according to The Republic.
The finished Annex serves espresso drinks, fresh bread, pastries from an in-house pastry chef, deli meats and cheeses, charcuterie boards to take home, and hand-dipped gelato. The best-known feature is a self-pour tap wall of regional craft beer, where you pour your own and pay by the ounce. Out back are pergolas for shade and fire pits for cooler evenings.
How the week lays out this fall
The two concepts keep different days. Monday and Tuesday are closed to the public because those days are held for private events.
| Day | The Annex Café & Market | The Church |
|---|---|---|
| Monday–Tuesday | Closed to the public for private events | No dinner service |
| Wednesday–Thursday | 7 a.m.–9 p.m. | À la carte dinner |
| Friday | 7 a.m.–9 p.m. | $125 five-course tasting menu |
| Saturday | 9 a.m.–9 p.m. | $125 five-course tasting menu |
| Sunday | 9 a.m.–9 p.m. | No dinner service |
On Sunday, then, the café is open but there's no dinner service. For the five-course menu, it's Friday or Saturday. Parties larger than six should call (812) 390-4335 or email instead of booking online.
On the calendar through early November
The venue's own events page lists a few things over the next couple of weeks:
- Saturday, October 31, 6–9 p.m. The Michael Kelsey Band plays. The ticket includes a hot dog and a non-alcoholic drink.
- Sunday, November 1, 4–5 p.m. Pilates at The Property, capped at 30 people. Reservations go through Skysport Fitness on MindBody.
- Saturday, November 7, 6–9 p.m. Phil Pierle & Company plays, with the same hot-dog-and-drink ticket.
No Thanksgiving or December hours are posted yet. If you're planning a holiday dinner there, call ahead.
If you live along State Road 58 or elsewhere in southern Bartholomew County, The Property is a change that's easy to see from the road. If you're wondering how changes like it fit into what your own home is worth, The Nolting Team can walk you through recent sales near you. Start with Get Your Home Value, and one of our agents will get back to you quickly.
