Adaptive Reuse Profiles: Cultural Facilities

Property: Sacred Heart Church
Location: Augusta, Georgia
Project: Sacred Hear Cultural Center
Completion: 1987

Contact:
Peter S. Knox Jr.  or Knox Limited

NOTES: It had been fifteen years since the Catholic Church last held mass in the Sacred Heart Church, when it was reopened as a cultural center for the Augusta community.  Knox Limited invested $2.5 million into the cathedral’s revitalization, the cornerstone of the city wide initiative to revitalize downtown Augusta.  The center’s main hall will be used for events such as weddings, concerts and balls.  Office space was also provided for arts and cultural institutions such as the local ballet company, symphony, and arts council.

Property: Tabernacle United Church
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Project: Movement Theatre International

Contact:
Movement Theatre International
3700 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 487-7637

NOTES: Movement Theatre International is located in a registered historic landmark - a 19th century English Gothic Church which has been described by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “both grand and intimate.”  This beautiful facility with its wood carved interior and handsome stained glass windows, provides a memorable setting for your meeting, performance, or special event.  At MTI, you can enjoy a fully modernized theatre/auditorium set in the heart of an architectural masterpiece.


Property: Primitive Baptist Church of Roberstonville, and Antioch Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth City
Location: Robertsonville and Elizabeth City, Tennessee
Project: Nash County Cultural Center, and Hugh Cale Community Center
Completion: 1992 and 1995

Contact:
Dr. A. Everet James (Robertsonville)
Shirly Simpson, Director of Hugh Cale Community Center

NOTES: Dr. James purchased the abandoned Robertsonville church for $10,000, and spent $20,000 for renovations.  It mainly houses his collection of pottery and folk art. 

The Hugh Cale Community Center is housed in a 1914 church designed by Rocky Mount architect John C. Stout, in the Romanesque style.  Their renovations were not high end preservation, but they did receive a new roof, electrical and plumbing fixtures, and even an exterior paint job.  Most of the renovations were done with a $24,000 Federal Community Development Block Grant.

Contact:
The Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage, Inc.,
16 Philips Street
Boston, MA 02114-3711
(617) 523-2324

Historic Boston
3 School Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 227-4679

NOTES: The Vilna Shul was built in 1919-20 in Beacon hill in Boston, and has been the focus of reuse as a community center since 1990. The Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage, Inc. took hold of the title in 1995, and has been raising money since for the restoration.  The roof has been repaired, and much of the interior work has progressed well.  A report on the interior finishes was completed by The Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities, and fundraising is underway to build a capitol and endowment of $4 million.  The architect in charge of the restoration is Claude Emanuel Menders, a French born Boston practitioner.  Plans are to rent out the ground level offices to generate maintenance income, and to have the upper floor for cultural programming.

Property: St. Andrew’s Church
Location: Jacksonville, Florida
Project: Jacksonville Historical Society
Completion: 1998

Contact:
The Jacksonville Historical Society
317 A. Philip Randolph Blvd.
Jacksonville, FL 32202
Emily Lisska, Executive Director
Phone: 655-0064
FAX: 655-0069

NOTES: Old St. Andrews Episcopal Church, once a vibrant part of East Jacksonville, will return to life once more as Jacksonville's Heritage Education Center. St. Andrews is owned by the City of Jacksonville and leased to the Jacksonville Historical Society. JHS has accepted the responsibility of raising all funds necessary for all future restoration of this Gothic gem, listed as both a local landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places (1976).  A total budget of $900,000 includes total restoration and provides for the first year's operating funds.  To date, funds raised stand at $652,000. 

To emphasize community, the church will become a Living History Museum, a museum of stories and people rather than exhibits.  As JHS headquarters, it will be protected for the future, and will provide varied programs to educate our citizens about the past.  It will be a location for children to learn of the history of Jacksonville, and to be encouraged to take part in its future.  Community groups will be encouraged to meet at St. Andrews.  As a method of funding its operation, St. Andrews will be available to rent for weddings, receptions and theatre.  Seating approximately 200, it will be a multi-use facility with flexible seating and scheduling to serve the needs of our diverse community.


Property: St. Andrew the Apostle
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Project: The Small World Kindergarten and Preschool
Completion: 1990

Contact:
Charles Schisla, Dir. of Catholic Community Center
1400 N. Meridian Street
Indianapolis, Indiana

NOTES: Many churches and Cathedrals in Indianapolis have found new uses.  Some have become homeless shelters, others schools, or second hand stores.