Items Tagged ‘event space’

Baptist Temple

Project Name:

Baptist Temple

Location:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Completion Date:

March 2010

Original Use(s):

Baptist church

New Use(s):

performance and event space

Project Description:

History
Built in 1891, this Victorian Romanesque-revival church in Philadelphia was the home of Grace Baptist Church. The church was founded along with Temple University a few years earlier by Massachusetts preacher Russell H. Conwell. It remained as a church until the mid-1970s when the congregation moved out to a larger building.^[1] It was purchased by Temple University in 1974. The building was later certified by the Philadelphia Historical Commission in 1984, which was then followed by the American Institute of Architects designating it as a Landmark Building in 2003.^[2]

(Re)Developer
Founded in 1884 as Temple College, Temple University has eight campuses which include locations in Rome and Tokyo. “Temple University is a national center of excellence in teaching and research with an international presence.”

RMJM is an international architectural firm that specializes in architecture, sustainable design, urbanism, masterplanning, interior design and research and development. The firm is committed to the care and improvement of the environment and the communities in which it operates and has taken a leading role in promoting environmental best practice and the move towards sustainability. This commitment is followed through by the delivery of low energy buildings and an in-house research and development group RED (RMJM Environmental Design). This multidisciplinary team spearheads energy efficiency and a sustainable approach in the earliest stages of projects. RED operates globally and works with all of the firm’s project teams, auditing the implementation of environmental design strategies on projects at each major design stage.

Outcome
After sitting vacant for 30 years, Temple University undertook a $30 million renovation and restructuring of the old church. It is now a state-of-the-art performance center that still retains its original character. Initially the school considered tearing down the church due to its deteriorated state, but those plans were altered after the Historical Commission certified the building. After being known as a “dead space” in North Philadelphia, it is now ready to be the school’s new gateway.^[3]

Lew Klein Hall, a 1,200-seat theater and the primary performance space, features a large, protruding stage, superior acoustics, vaulted ceilings and much of the building’s restored original features. The historic Chapel of the Four Chaplains is a now an event space that can hold up to 130 seats. Being located along North Broad Street, the new use for the building fits well within the school’s master plan to orient the growing campus along this corridor.^[4]

^[1]Philadelphia Inquirer
^[2]The Baptist Temple
^[3]Philadelphia Inquirer
^[4]Temple University
Images courtesy of Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Temple University.

Case Studies, Cultural, Educational

The Green Building

Project Name:

The Green Building

Location:

Louisville, Kentucky, USA

Completion Date:

November 2008

Original Use(s):

dry goods store

New Use(s):

retail, gallery, offices

Project Description:

History
This former dry goods store, Sternau’s Dry Goods, was built in 1891 in Louisville, Kentucky. The dry goods store shut down in 1949, but was then occupied by a Goodwill Thrift Store from 1956 to 1977. It was then used as a photography warehouse from 1977 until 2006.^[1]

(Re)Developer
Augusta and Gill Holland purchased the building in spring 2007. Gill is a Norwegian-American Spirit Award-nominated film producer and the author of the children’s book “Louisville Counts.”^[2]

The Hollands hired (fer) studio, based on Los Angeles, to oversee the adaptive reuse process. The firm handles architectural, interior, landscape, and master planning design. It is well known for its eco-conscious design.^[3]

Outcome
This adaptive reuse project became the first commercial building in Louisville to go for US Green Building Council LEED platinum certification. The end product, a 15,000-square-foot mixed-use facility, is now home to a café, a gallery, event spaces, an indoor-outdoor courtyard, and offices and studios for local businesses. “Intent upon rescuing the building from decades of misuse, the project included resuscitating the structural masonry shell and infusing it with a modern core, including a 40 foot high lobby, expansive natural lighting, eco-friendly materials, and renewable energy systems, as well as extensive solar power, geothermal wells, and recycled denim insulation.”^[4]

Located in the East Market District (NuLu), The Green Building has become the flagship building for this area. This growing, hip district is made up of Louisville’s oldest neighborhoods, Butchertown and Phoenix Hill. This unofficial district is now best known for its galleries showcasing local, regional and national artists, unique specialty stores, antique shops and a growing number of upscale restaurants.^[5]