Silence fell over Seattle's First Church of Christ, Scientist, one recent weekend morning, but unlike years before, it wasn't a congregation standing motionless in reverent reflection.

It was a film crew -- determined to minimize the creaks and groans that rang out around the century-old cathedral every time someone took a step or shifted their weight on the wooden pews.

"And, action," the director said from behind the video monitor.

All eyes and one camera lens were immediately pinned to the actor who sat alone on the raised pews in the back of the sanctuary.

"This was your grandfather's church," he said to a young actress who glowed in the yellow light coming through a ceiling-high stained-glass window.

Line by line, an estranged father-daughter reunion came to life beneath an aging cathedral dome.

For the past several weeks, the Capitol Hill church has served as a backdrop and home base for the filming of "The Spy and the Sparrow," an independent film slated for festival release later this year.

Where there are lights and cameras today, there used to be prayerful church services. Not very far in the future, both of those worlds will be succeeded by high-class town houses ranging from $600,000 to $1.4 million.

The Capitol Hill building saw its last Sunday church service in October. Waning attendance made the large 12,000-seat sanctuary impractical, and the church moved to a Christian Science Reading Room on Fourth Avenue and Cedar Street in Belltown.

"I remember the auditorium filled and overflowing, people sitting on windowsills, 1,300 capacity, no microphones, readers and testifiers speaking loudly and clearly," longtime church member Mary Pease wrote in a church history, recalling her girlhood days in the 1930s and '40s.

But as time marched on, turnout slumped so low that even those most in love with the building had to admit it was time to move on.

"It was a beautiful place," said Debbie Gotschef, an 18-year congregation member who works in the Fourth Avenue reading room. "But when we left, it wasn't as full as it should have been, and it didn't have the same feeling it used to when everyone was singing."

		Joshua Trujillo / P-I
	Actress Elisabeth Rohm prepares for a scene recently at the First Church of Christ, Scientist.

The Capitol Hill church hasn't been alone in its predicament. Neighbors on Queen Anne are trying to stop condo developers from demolishing the Seventh Church of Christ, Scientist, there.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, narrowly escaped the wrecking ball itself when local developers Joe Sacotte and Joel Lavin bought the 101-year-old structure with the intention of converting it into private residences. Buying the land for development would have been a more lucrative venture, but the thought of demolishing the building was too much for some to stomach.

"The church didn't want to do that, we didn't want to do that, and the landmark people for the city didn't want to do that," Sacotte said. Instead, the city made concessions to allow full conversion on the historic building's interior, with minor exterior changes.

The church will be the city of Seattle's first large-scale church turned residential housing complex, but it's likely that it won't be the last.

"Seattle is going to see a lot of this in the future," said real estate agent Ryan Thompson, who has already started marketing the Capitol Hill town houses.

Converting churches into condos is a trend that has recently gained momentum, especially on the East Coast. Catholic churches are being sold at surprisingly high rates because of financial woes plaguing the church recently, Thompson said.

Timothy Hogan, who has lived two blocks from the First Church of Christ, Scientist, for about 15 years, has been talking with Thompson about buying one of the less expensive units. At first, he was skeptical about whether the surrounding neighborhood could support luxury condos, but in the end, the building won him over.

"The building is so majestic," he said. "I can imagine even just a fraction of it being able to capture some pretty magnificent space and light."

The building will have 12 units, an underground parking garage and a few private elevators for the pricier homes. The cathedral dome will be preserved in a public atrium, which the units will look out on.

"We want it to look as good as it does now," Sacotte said two weeks ago, looking up at the handcrafted ceiling that hides a roof in dire need of repair.

"The Spy and the Sparrow," directed by Garrett Bennett, tells the story of a retired CIA operative who embarks on a mission to make things right with his estranged daughter, a 30-something alcoholic facing separation from her own child.

Sacotte and Lavin delayed construction for a month to allow the film crew to use the building.

"With independent films, you really have to rely on the generosity of people who support the arts," producer Lenny O'Donnell said.

But in a way, the film is doing the church a favor, too -- documenting its original state just in time.

In the sanctuary last weekend, the church experienced what is likely to be its most famous moment -- the camera started rolling, recording the place where thousands worshipped during the past 100 years.

Just moments before the call for action, screenwriter and executive producer Steve Edmiston paused for a moment to look around the cathedral space.

"This is beyond imagination," he said.

"Part of this is all about capturing the grandeur of this place before it changes."

ABOUT THE FILM

"The Spy and the Sparrow" will debut at film festivals later this year. Here's a quick look at the cast and crew.

David Rasche ("Flight 93," "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood") plays Tommy Sparrow, a retired CIA agent.

Elizabeth Rohm ("Law & Order," "Miss Congeniality 2") plays Josephine Sparrow, an alcoholic facing separation from her child.

Garrett Bennett ("A Relative Thing," "Farewell to Harry") directs.

Lenny O'Donnell ("On Native Soil," "The Law Firm") is the producer. O'Donnell graduated from Queen Anne High School and the University of Washington.

Fact: About 200 Seattle-area extras have been used in the film. The extras responded to an open call in February

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