Adaptive Reuse of a Church October 22, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog, Church, Adaptive Reuse, Church Construction , add a commentMany buildings and other commercial and organization structures are being made into churches and churches are also being made into residential homes. In Chicago, our church, Park Community Church, is providing an adaptive reuse for a 70,000 square foot warehouse, which will become our permanent church home. See here for the building plans.
In Santa Monica, architect and educator Anne Troutman had just about given up on finding a home with character when her prayers were answered–an 1875 Carpenter Gothic church had appeared on a multiple listing service. She and her husband went the other direction, taking a church and creating an adaptive reuse into a residence. Read the whole article here.
The humble church–Santa Monica’s oldest remaining wood structure and a landmark since 1977–has had four owners and three locations in its 130-year life. When the building was threatened with demolition in 1971, local artist Helen Taylor Sheats saved it from the wrecking ball by converting it into her atelier. The predicament for Troutman and her husband, architect Aleks Istanbullu, was how to retain the architectural integrity of the church, yet have it reflect their modern sensibilities. Their solution: a free-standing cabinet-like structure set within the 40-foot-square sanctuary. “The walls don’t touch the old church,” explains Troutman. “We essentially built a building within a building.”
