Paradise Valley’s Ascension Lutheran Church was purchased for $11 million last week by one of the co-founders of Los Angeles-based cookware company HexClad Cookware, the cookware choice of celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay.

The church is going to be torn down to make room for new housing. 

Cole Mecray purchased the church at 7100 N. Mockingbird Lane for $500,000 above the listing price with a five-day cash close. Frank DiMaggio, managing partner at Launch Powered by Compass, closed the deal for the five-acre church, according to a release.

DiMaggio said it was an honor to help church leadership find a buyer and sell the property located in an important part of town, the release states.

“When word got out that Ascension Church was for sale the biggest developers in town and the Paradise Valley community were interested in the property,” DiMaggio said. “This is an iconic piece of architecture on an amazing plot of land so it isn’t a surprise that the property sold over its listing price.”

The church’s close proximity to the $2 billion Ritz Carlton Paradise Valley project puts it at the center of a growing community known for high-end homes, shops and restaurants.

“The property being so close to the Ritz Carlton places it at an important throughway in Paradise Valley that will serve as an essential part of the city’s growth,” DiMaggio said.

Launch Powered by Compass is a brokerage firm in Scottsdale with more than 300 agents. azhomes.com.