It was about two years ago that Christopher McClain and Melissa Poirier took over The Stone Church, leasing space for the music club from building owner Adam Schroadter. The change was the latest in a series of ownership swaps at the Newmarket venue over the last decade. Now, there’s been yet another shift. 

The Stone Church recently closed its doors after McClain and Poirier opted not to renew their lease. Local musician Chris O’Neill, best known as lead guitarist for The Amorphous Band, is taking over management of the venue and hopes to reopen within a couple of weeks. He also plans to open a new community music school on the second floor of the old church building.

O’Neill, whose wife recently gave birth to their second child, said he has long planned to open a music school somewhere on the Seacoast. He began meeting in January with Schroadter, who expressed support for the idea. 

“We immediately figured out that putting a music school on the second floor of The Stone Church is a winner,” O’Neill said. 

More recently, Schroadter asked O’Neill if he would be interested in managing and booking shows at the music club. A long-time veteran of the local scene, O’Neill jumped at the opportunity. He plans to continue booking local and touring acts, establishing weekly concert series and bringing some familiar faces back to the stage. 

The Stone Church lacks a modern sprinkler system and has struggled with fire code and capacity issues. Schroadter, who is now a Republican member of the N.H. House of Representatives, plans to address those issues, O’Neill said. They are also looking to lease the kitchen space to a separate business entity in order to serve food.

As for the school, O’Neill said he envisions an interactive, high-tech, community-oriented facility with up to six classrooms. He plans to install cameras so that he can use Skype or other applications to connect with students outside the classroom. Visiting musicians who perform downstairs could offer clinics with live Internet feeds, opening the program to students around the world.

Between the school, the music venue, the restaurant, an outdoor farmers’ market and other activities, O’Neill hopes to build the Church’s reputation as a local hub. “We’re hoping, in the future, that the building will be busy all day,” he said.