Abandoned Churches in the US

[Vivi_music]

I haven't read The Atlantic article. Sorry I'm lazy tonight. But I am not surprised they cited Montreal's experience with abandonned churches. It is a situation which Québec had to deal with for a few years now. It already started in the lat 90's and is still an important question. There was a time in Québec's history were the general population was very strongly Catholic. So a ton of churches were built in the 19th and 20th century. Some of these churches were indeed architectural and artistic gems. So when transforming them, their is a desire to at least keep the authenticity of the architectural features. I went to high school in an old convent. It was not a Catholic school. The religious community had sold the building and it became a public school, but the chapel of the convent was transformed into the school library. They kept the original stain glass windows, which made it a wonderful place to study. The University of Québec in Montreal also included the abandonned local church in his campus by making the frame of the church the atrium of the pavillion.

But not all these churches were exceptionnal architecture-wise. Some of the more modern churches from the 50's and 60's were very blah. I have seen a few transformed into concert spaces of course. Acoustic are wonderful in most Catholic churches. But in smaller areas, I've heard of Churches being converted into community centers or sports centers (with gymnastics class offered by the local gymnastics' club). I like that alternative. A lot of city or town administrations are now trying to buy these abandonned Catholic churches before real estate tycoons can put their hand on it. That way they can transform the building into something that will benefit the community: like a library, a community center, sports center, etc. I find it a good transition, considering Churches were a place a gathering, it is only logical it remains a place for the people.

I never wondered about mega-churches though. Interesting to read your messages on here.

[Bethany11]

A small Congregational Church closed in my town,  once the last Pastor retired and moved away. The basement was turned into a beautiful bar and grill.  The main sanctuary is slowly being renovated into a larger eating/event area. Some former parishioners dislike it. But it’s allowing a brick building to not just sit and decay. This picture is the Church before a new entry etc was added. 

[NachosFlandersStyle]

I used to live just around the corner from this place, which was being converted into condos at the time we left DC. my boyfriend and I used to speculate endlessly about how they were going to convert that kind of layout into apartments. The apparent answer? Put in a bunch of walls to make them into generic loft spaces (nice that they retained the stained glass though) and sell the units for nearly 3 MILLION dollars apiece. That price point goes a long way towards explaining why we returned to the midwest, btw.

If you have a building with a cavernous central space like that, why not make it into a theater or concert venue or even just a shop that makes use of the big open room? I used to live in a small town where the historic local opera house had been repurposed as a flea market, and it was really cool to shop there with the high ceilings and all the architectural details. Chopping it up into a bunch of apartments seems like a waste.

[nastyhobbitses]

I say turn them into affordable housing (not hipster and yuppie lofts). I think that's the most Christ-like purpose for these buildings. 

[luv2laugh]

Turning them into offices such as psychology therapist offices and dental offices is a good idea.

[eport]

The convent that used to house the sisters who ran my high school was re-purposed (there were remaining sisters, but they moved to the mother house in a different state). A local university bought it-the chapel became a performance space for the music school (recitals, small plays, etc). They even kept the organ. It also then housed the dorm for the honors college in the bedroom/bath area with the kitchen being open to residents, plus study areas in meeting rooms and a small library. Seemed like a good use of the space.

 

 

[smittykins]

The convent of my town’s Catholic church was sold to the Red Cross; it was vacated again a couple of years ago and last I heard is still for sale.  The former school housed the town offices for awhile(while still holding CCD classes on Saturdays), but is also now for sale.

[PlentyOfJesusFishInTheSea]

11 hours ago, Vivi_music said:

I haven't read The Atlantic article. Sorry I'm lazy tonight. But I am not surprised they cited Montreal's experience with abandonned churches. It is a situation which Québec had to deal with for a few years now. It already started in the lat 90's and is still an important question. There was a time in Québec's history were the general population was very strongly Catholic. So a ton of churches were built in the 19th and 20th century. Some of these churches were indeed architectural and artistic gems. So when transforming them, their is a desire to at least keep the authenticity of the architectural features. I went to high school in an old convent. It was not a Catholic school. The religious community had sold the building and it became a public school, but the chapel of the convent was transformed into the school library. They kept the original stain glass windows, which made it a wonderful place to study. The University of Québec in Montreal also included the abandonned local church in his campus by making the frame of the church the atrium of the pavillion.

But not all these churches were exceptionnal architecture-wise. Some of the more modern churches from the 50's and 60's were very blah. I have seen a few transformed into concert spaces of course. Acoustic are wonderful in most Catholic churches. But in smaller areas, I've heard of Churches being converted into community centers or sports centers (with gymnastics class offered by the local gymnastics' club). I like that alternative. A lot of city or town administrations are now trying to buy these abandonned Catholic churches before real estate tycoons can put their hand on it. That way they can transform the building into something that will benefit the community: like a library, a community center, sports center, etc. I find it a good transition, considering Churches were a place a gathering, it is only logical it remains a place for the people.

I never wondered about mega-churches though. Interesting to read your messages on here.

To clarify, the Atlantic only talked about American churches but I noticed a lot of church condos in Montreal. In my Ontario city, I can only think of one repurposed church that became a fancy restaurant/wedding venue. The rest have just changed denominations. Old United or Methodist churches are now Korean, for example.

[Black Aliss]

9 hours ago, nastyhobbitses said:

I say turn them into affordable housing (not hipster and yuppie lofts). I think that's the most Christ-like purpose for these buildings. 

Especially when many of these urban churches were sold because the church body felt it was immoral to be sitting on a multi-million dollar piece of real estate when that money could be used for their mission of helping the needy.

[PennySycamore]

@Black Aliss, I am so glad you mentioned Alice's Restaurant Massacree and the old church building.  I love that it's been turned into the Guthrie Center.

It's become pretty much a tradition for me to listen the Alice's Restaurant on Thanksgiving.  WNCW (western NC public radio) plays it twice and Rock 101 also plays it.  I'd listen to one of those broadcasts driving to my parent's for Thanksgiving dinner.  I missed it this year.  

The McGlohan Theatre at Spirit Square in Charlotte, NC was once the First Baptist Church.  It's so beautiful it could be a Methodist or Episcopal Church.  (Most Baptist churches are fairly plain with really ugly "stained" glass.)  I saw Herb Alpert and Lani Hall there earlier this year.  

There is or was an old Catholic mission, St Ann's, near Oakway, SC.  My mom always wanted to buy that church and turn it into a chapel for weddings. 

[Black Aliss]

18 minutes ago, PennySycamore said:

@Black Aliss, I am so glad you mentioned Alice's Restaurant Massacree and the old church building.  I love that it's been turned into the Guthrie Center.

It's become pretty much a tradition for me to listen the Alice's Restaurant on Thanksgiving.  WNCW (western NC public radio) plays it twice and Rock 101 also plays it.  I'd listen to one of those broadcasts driving to my parent's for Thanksgiving dinner.  I missed it this year.  

I was relieved a few Thanksgivings ago to find it on Spotify. I had saved it on iTunes but was temporarily Mac-less. It's a tradition here, too. As is Dylan Thomas reading A Child's Christmas in Wales and Lionel Barrymore reading Dickens' A Christmas Carol on Christmas day.

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

On 11/27/2018 at 11:00 AM, danvillebelle said:

I went to the Limelight in NYC in 1986.  Good times.  

Well, now I have the song stuck in my head.

Spoiler

 

 

[PennySycamore]

@Black Aliss,  Lionel Barrymore reading A Christmas Carol sounds like perfection!

[tankgirl]

The UK has loads of old empty churchs, many that were swapped out a few decades ago. I can think of one that is an indoor climbing center, two gymnastics gyms, a lot of the add smaller ones have become housing. These are mostly turn of the 19th century stone buildings. Its interesting how they swap them out. There is a special assisted living one I know that looks like flats to the back, and sides, but the whole of the front looks like the original church. Not all keep their original look, so its nice this one did.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/churches-in-england-are-being-converted-to-bars-photos-2014-3?IR=T

[47of74]

23 minutes ago, tankgirl said:

The UK has loads of old empty churchs, many that were swapped out a few decades ago. I can think of one that is an indoor climbing center, two gymnastics gyms, a lot of the add smaller ones have become housing. These are mostly turn of the 19th century stone buildings. Its interesting how they swap them out. There is a special assisted living one I know that looks like flats to the back, and sides, but the whole of the front looks like the original church. Not all keep their original look, so its nice this one did.

 

https://www.businessinsider.com/churches-in-england-are-being-converted-to-bars-photos-2014-3?IR=T

Then there's the Catholic church I made my aunts got married at, I and my brother made our first communions at, my sister was baptized at.  It was a small county parish.  It was made an oratory in the early 90s - meaning it was still considered a church but regular services were not held there.  It was available for weddings, funerals, and special occasions.  In the late 90s it was sold and turned in to an office and storage shed.  A couple years ago the church windows were taken out and replaced with regular windows and the building was resided so if a person didn't know that it was originally a church I could see where a person could assume it was always a storage shed. 

[Black Aliss]

1 hour ago, PennySycamore said:

@Black Aliss,  Lionel Barrymore reading A Christmas Carol sounds like perfection!

Perfection that can be yours this Christmas, complete with the pops and scratches I remember from my family's old 78's. 

 

[SecularMusic]

In my town the Methodist church had been without a full time pastor for a year when it's congregation decided to merge with the Confregational church next door.

it leased its sanctuary to a local dance academy that had outgrown its space and continues to lease it's basement to a community preschool that has used the space for decades.

It's a sturdy brick building and nice to see that it will continue to be put to good use.