Ironweed starring Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. In 1994, St. Joseph's Church canonically merged with Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in North Albany, and the St. Joseph's Church building ceased to be used. By then, St. Joseph's Church needed up to $2 million worth of repairs to fix cracked stained-glass windows, a leaking roof, the building's foundation, and a rusted and collapsed iron fence. The Albany Diocese bought St. Joseph's Church back from Colonel Gill in 1996 for $30,000. The Diocese then organized a committee composed of representatives from the church, the Ten Broeck Triangle Preservation League, Historic Albany Foundation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Mayor Jerry Jennings, Albany County Executive Michael Breslin, and NYS Assemblyman John McEneny to figure out new uses for the building. St. Joseph's Church continued to deteriorate from lack of use and maintenance and was included on the Historic Albany Foundations's Seven to Save list of endangered historical sites in 2000. That year, St. Joseph's Church was sold for $1 to the Abate family, which owned a pair of night club/restaurants in Troy and a restaurant on Lark Street in Albany. The sale to the Abate family faced opposition from Albany Mayor Gerald Jennings when it was discovered that the Abates' bar in Albany owed back city and school taxes. The Ten Broeck Triangle community also opposed the Abates' plans when it was discovered that they had applied for a zoning variance to allow for noon to 4:00 am operating hours for the banquet facility that they planned to open in the church building. When the city determined that St. Joseph's Church was in imminent danger of collapse during the winter of 2001, the building was condemned. Emergency work was done to shore up the support columns and roof. In January 2003, the city took the Abates to court to secure an emergency eminent domain order. Within a month, the city turned the property over to the Historic Albany Foundation, which had obtained a $300,000 matching grant from the state for continued work on the building. In 2007, after St. Joseph's Church was made safe for public use, the Historic Albany Foundation and the city hosted Obsequi (a multi-media performance of dance and music) there. Further art and musical performances continue to be hosted as fundraising events at the church. An annual Restoration Funstival (also known as the Restoration Festival