South End Infill and Small Developments

Partially gutted now. There was a fundraiser a couple weeks ago and the photos showed what it looks like currently, but I can't find them on Facebook. Something to do with art and spray painting.

UPDATE: It was sponsored by Onein3 and Artists for Humanity, I guess.

https://www.facebook.com/ArtistsForHumanity?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

Their organ, apparently, is being repaired/rehabbed offsite with the hope that it can be moved to the Lady of Good Voyage chapel in the Seaport.

http://www.ccwatershed.org/blog/2014/oct/17/death-parish-promise-new-life/
 
I was at the AFH (Artists for Humanity) event/party. Very cool event space. A shame it's a residential development as this would be a very unique place to host venues/events or a nighclub (think of NYC's Chelsea circa 1990).

The space is narrow. All the church stuff seen in the pictures from 2008 have been removed, though some Jesus-type painting remain. The actual structure is in need of desperate need of repair. Snow had blown through cracks in the walls along both sides, broken windows, crubling plaster and the floor felt as though it could/would give in. But throw an open-bar, art party in an abandoned (feeling) church and my concerns about safety vanished.
 
Jeez, I thought the Catholic Church put deed restrictions on former church properties when it sells them to prevent uses that aren't in line with its teachings, like abortion, etc. Apparently they forgot to do that this time.
 
Roxxma said:
Jeez, I thought the Catholic Church put deed restrictions on former church properties when it sells them to prevent uses that aren't in line with its teachings, like abortion, etc. Apparently they forgot to do that this time.
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Are you saying this is an abortion of architecture? (ba dum ching!)

FWIW, I don't hate it, I think it would do better if the addition was separated from the spire, so that from the street it looked more like a building behind the church instead of a random block dropped on top.
 
Scipio said:
UHub has the details on the former Holy Trinity on Shawmut Street: http://www.universalhub.com/2015/developer-proposes-hollowing-out-old-church-and

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33 residential units inside the glass and steel box. To my eye it's really poorly integrated with the old structure and actually quite depressing in a Frankenstein sort of way. I'd rather they tore down the church and just build something new if they can't get the church to work well with the residential addition.

Link to BRA documentation: http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/getattachment/c0a03da7-6f89-4fce-b0b6-91f7620092ba
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What on earth's name is that? :confused:

I mean....... just HORRENDOUS!!
 
First the sinking Titanic, now the stinking Satanic.
 
THIS is the perfect expression of where the values of our culture are at. Not making a judgement at all ... just saying that to me this is a very clear symbol. No doubt about it.

cca
 
There's a reason why the Catholic Church is against abortions! What a pity, indeed, a desecration! I agree with those who think it would be better torn down. I'll go a step further, tear it down and just leave a pile of rubble...that would be better than this rendering.
 
I understand the desire to preserve old churches but they are a building type that is really not suited for conversion. I've seen one good conversion in Brooklyn; imagine your living room is the ceiling of a church with stained glass windows and you can see the appeal. However more often than not you get this load of shit that's being proposed. Or worse you get this where preservationists find a compromise where no one wins.
 
vanshnookenraggen said:
I understand the desire to preserve old churches but they are a building type that is really not suited for conversion. I've seen one good conversion in Brooklyn; imagine your living room is the ceiling of a church with stained glass windows and you can see the appeal. However more often than not you get this load of shit that's being proposed. Or worse you get this where preservationists find a compromise where no one wins.
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... or - for bombed out City of London - and if not going for condo conversion - you get the awesomest park ever (but no private development benefits). Sorry for the shameless hijack here, but any excuse to share this place I'll take... it's wedged into the densest old streets of the eastern part of the Square Mile..

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About it...
 
Great use of London space...evocative of the ruins of abbeys throughout England...and appropriate use of architectural fragments. That section of Shawmut may have been perfect for a park for nearby residents...
 
There are good church-to-condo conversions but they are much quieter in their execution. On a couple of levels, reuse of these buildings are a good idea, and I can buy into the idea that the market should be allowed to dictate what program occupies these buildings.

Churches are 90% symbolic in their form and the details. I can buy someone arguing that you can morph those symbols effectively from being a spiritual home to an actual home. And some of those other conversions that do this I think do it well. This design points out the very strange tension between the symbols of our past and the values of our present.

I would agree that tearing this down and building something new might have some merit (although I am sure the preservationists will light their torches), a quite renovation would work (although the pro-forma will not look so sparkly), maybe they should do like Leslie University did and move it to a place where you could build all your units and use the church as something else.

cca
 
cca said:
Still better imho.

cca
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I live very close to that building and also pass it regularly. I respectfully disagree. If you're going to keep the church, keep the church. I get that we're well into individual taste territory here, but I'd much rather use the glass to expand the building with a transparent exterior than glom a bunch of dark bricks onto whatever part the historical commission requires you to keep.
 
Saint Mark's Church near Coolidge Corner is an absolutely great conversion. You wouldn't know unless you really give it a close look that it's been adapted for re-use. And once you do examine it you realize that some of the living spaces must be incredibly unique.

Edit: Interior shots - Wow! google and ye shall find!
http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704654004575517870017069294
Having half a stained-glass window would, however, always continually throw off my sense of balance.
 
Watertown has some pretty well done conversions along Mt Auburn Street. Also Union Square in Somerville has a conversion that doesn't look repurposed at all.
 
Church Court (Beacon x Mass Ave) is a perfectly fine example.
 
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