- author, Claire Doody
- roll, BBC culture
Sherness Dockyard, completed in 1828, lay in ruins for years after it was destroyed by a fire in 2001. But now it has been converted into a workspace for young entrepreneurs and given a new lease on life.
The 19th-century church, built for the British Navy, is located on an island in the Thames estuary, on the Isle of Sheppey, one of the most deprived areas of Kent in southern England.
During the interior renovation, a floating staircase was rebuilt and the other kept in ruins to preserve its past. For the architect responsible for the project, Hugh Broughton, the decision is a metaphor for what the church has become.
According to him, church conversions are a balancing act. “We don’t want to lose sense of its history and its original function. Its past use should not overtly affect its new role and people’s relationship with it.”
Reusing Sheerness Dockyard Church requires balancing conservation and innovation
At Sheerness Church Dockyard, the interior masonry was painted over with a clear coat to make it fade into the background. The remaining stucco decorative pieces have been preserved (rather than restored) and hung on the wall.
In England, about 20 Church of England churches are closed each year. In the United States, about 4,500 Protestant churches closed in 2019 alone, although about 3,000 new churches opened, according to Christian organization Lifeway Research.
These historic buildings are intentionally inspiring, even when closed to the public.
Some end up being demolished, while the fortunate are converted, often by local groups or private owners. What remains of the religious style depends on the state in which it is found, the approach of the architect, and the needs of the new operator.
Here are some innovative examples of churches being repurposed around the world.
credit, Toon Groppet/Frozen Moments
The chapel in Limburg, Belgium has become the studio for the architecture firm Klaarchitectuur
Architecture Studio, Belgium
Originally built as a monument, this heritage-listed building in Limburg, Belgium was converted into a chapel in 1872. It is now the studio, workplace and public event space for architecture firm Klaarchitectuur after its renovation with a new roof and separate offices separated by white walls.
The kitchen area features a golden altar-like breakfast bar.
When the architecture firm acquired the building, it was in poor condition, but those responsible for the project have preserved most of the interior surfaces as they found them.
credit, Nicholas Mathews
A monastery in the Loire Valley has been converted into a hotel and restaurant
Fontevraud Hotel and Restaurant, France
The Abbey of Saint-Lazare in the Loire Valley was rebuilt in a project that included the entire Abbey of Fontevreud and its four surrounding cloisters, which form a medieval monastic complex.
The Jouin Manku Agency has transformed Saint-Lazare’s protected interior into a hotel and restaurant.
The designers provided free-standing furniture intended to divide the spaces of the chapel, chapter room and refectory, which is now an auditorium with an 8-metre long dining table.
This Austin restaurant is built out of a 1940s church
Loro Restaurant, USA
Loro is a chain of Asian smoking houses. One of his restaurants is located in a 1940s church in Austin, Texas, and features a brick facade with stone window sills and a high ceiling.
Architect Michael Hsu says the firm’s design “celebrates the vast campus space while preserving the existing wooden trusses.”
New skylights and skylights bring more natural light into the previously dark interior.
A church on the Isle of Sheppey, UK, has been repurposed to create a community centre
Community Centre, UK
Sheerness Dockyard Church on the Isle of Sheppey was designed in the 1820s by George Ledwell Taylor in the Greek Revival style.
It has been modernized by Hugh Broughton and conservation experts Martin Ashley Architects, with a new roof matching the original form and a rebuilt clock tower.
Inside there is now an exhibition area, café and event space on the ground floor. On the new mezzanine floor is an open plan center for local youth.
The original fluted cast iron columns have been preserved and redecorated.
Rather than a full restoration, the architects chose to stabilize what was left, while retaining some elements as relics from the building’s history.
An 1864 Methodist church has been transformed into a center for the arts in the Hamptons
Church Arts Center USA
This 1864 Methodist church building in Sag Harbor in the Hamptons, New York, was built in the Italianate style. It was dismantled and sold in 2007.
After a series of failed renovation attempts by three previous owners, it was purchased in 2017 by current owners Eric Fischl and April Gornik. They hired the Skolnick Architecture Design Partnership for the project, which aims to preserve the building in its stripped-down state.
Those responsible for the renovation added a mezzanine floor and modern elements such as a glass elevator.
Pictures of Fischel by local artists were transferred to some of the windows, where it was customary to have stained glass with saints.
The Bokšto 6 event space in Vilnius, Lithuania has been converted from a chapel
Event space Bokšto 6, Lithuania
The Old Town of Vilnius is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Down a side street, a group of 500-year-old buildings has been brought back to life by London-based studio Seilern Architects.
Where there was once a Polish Cardinal’s Palace, a monastery, a chapel, and a hospital in Soviet times, there are now new offices, three residences, a restaurant, spa, swimming pool, and event space.
The latter was created from the restoration of the double-height church, which now contains a metal spiral staircase leading to the recombined choir with a glazed verandah.
New patio additions include an outdoor elevator and canopy for the ground floor restaurant, both clad in mirrored brushed stainless steel.
credit, Stephen Grolo
The 1964 church in Quebec is now the Monique Corivaux Library
Monique Corivaux Library, Canada
Library architects compare the 1964 Saint-Denis-du-Plateau de Quebec, designed by Jean-Marie Roy, to a huge wind-blown tent fixed to the ground.
The late Dan Hangano and Cote Lehi Cardas decided to build the area for the public functions of the library in the nave of the old church.
The annex – built with clear, tinted and screen-printed glass panels – houses the administration and community hall. It is separated from the library by a void, intended to mark the transition from the old to the new.
By keeping the functions separate, the Community Hall can remain open outside of Library opening hours, while preserving the nave.
The Vertige Escalade climbing center in Quebec was originally a church since the 1940s
Vertige Escalade Climbing Centre, Canada
The Eglise Christ-Roi was built in Sherbrooke, Quebec, in the 1940s and designed by Alphonse Bellanger. In 1965, the lower part of the church was covered with marble slabs. The last Mass was celebrated in 2006 – after which the church was closed and sold. It is currently operated by Vertige Escalade Inc as a climbing gym.
In the project by the architecture firm Carlo Rondina, climbing walls were placed around the entire perimeter and in a wide central block.
Religious elements were removed, with images of the Via Sacra replaced with sporting images and arched stained glass replaced with clear glass.
The altar plate cannot be removed, so it is hidden behind the climbing station.
A 100-year-old church has been transformed into La Iglesia Skate Park in Llanera, Spain
La Iglesia Skate Park, Spain
When a skier attempts an aerial maneuver in the city of Llanera, in northern Spain, he encounters a type of mural rarely seen in churches of neo-Romanesque plan with neo-Gothic details.
But this centuries-old building is now known as La Iglesia Skate, and the artwork is courtesy of Okuda San Miguel (aka Okudart).
The artist’s mural is called Kaos Temple, and it features geometric faces in different colors and animals characteristic of the artist and is mounted atop wooden ski slopes.
St. Henry’s Art Ecumenical Church in Turku, Finland is both a church and an art space
Ecumenical Art Church, Finland
Unlike previous buildings, this church – remodeled by Mati Sanaksinahu – combines worship with non-religious activities.
It is shaped like a ship and is located in a quiet part of a medical center focused on cancer treatments on the outskirts of Turku, Finland’s oldest city.
The round, copper-clad church has a Finnish pine interior. Almost half of the space is occupied by simple seating, while the area closest to the entrance is purposefully designed for art exhibitions and other events.
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