Converted Churches

1. ziggystardust
   February 9th, 2009 at 2:18 pm

   I am a big fan of the National Cathedral architecture.

   http://www.american-architecture.info/USA/USA-Washington/National_Cath edral_Center.jpg

2. Church
   February 9th, 2009 at 2:24 pm

   Meh. That's a secularization. The RC Church has ceremonies for 'decomissioning' churches, not newsworthy.

   For a conversion, see e.g. the Hagia Sophia.

3. Nestor
   February 9th, 2009 at 3:17 pm

   No list is complete without The Church Brew Works in Pittsburgh. Gives "going to Church" a whole new meaning. http://www.churchbrew.com/

4. Skipweasel
   February 9th, 2009 at 3:32 pm

   Would there be a fuss about setting up a prayer meeting in a disused coffee house?

5. Spinningmind
   February 9th, 2009 at 3:45 pm

   Secular != Mundane

6. SpuriousLogic
   February 9th, 2009 at 4:01 pm

   A great one not on this list is The Tabernacle in Atlanta. It's a former baptist church turned into a concert venue.
   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tabernacle

7. mikos
   February 9th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

   As a fantasy, I always wanted to buy a beautiful church with great acustics and turn it into a crazy night club!

8. Barking Bud
   February 9th, 2009 at 5:40 pm

   That's in my hometown of Maastricht WOOT! (do people still "woot"? hehehe)

9. Allimar
   February 9th, 2009 at 5:43 pm

   My first marriage was in a church. A church converted into the town's community art gallery (my Jewish grandma would have plotzed if I married in a REAL church). It was awesome; high ceilings, great lighting and surrounded by paintings and sculptures. Very cool.

   And of course, there was The Limelight, in Manhattan before all the drug dealing & that club kid murder shut it down.

10. Ben B.
    February 9th, 2009 at 8:12 pm

    We bought a church and are in the process of turning it into a house...

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/fyngyrz/sets/72157600422927302/

    ...it was essentially an empty cube on two city lots when we bought it, now it has a pair of lofts (master bedroom and music studio), kitchen, dining area, bathroom, spa, library, and a 204" home theater upstairs, while in the basement we put in a wood shop, an electronics shop, a stained glass shop, a dollhouse shop, a weight room, a photo studio, a cattery, and a laundry. There were already two bathrooms downstairs, plus various closets and hallways.

    We've been at it for two and a half years; I think it'll take about another two to finish.

11. Wok
    February 9th, 2009 at 11:39 pm

    well like this is really only interesting if like the churches were architecturally interesting to begin with.

    Like, imagine converting a gothic cathedral into a skate park.

    ...

    Oh nelly.

12. gtron
    February 10th, 2009 at 12:01 pm

    in Newfoundland (very catholic background) they turned a nice stone church into a strip bar... then god burned it down:
    http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2006/08/31/fire-c otton.html

13. Lore
    February 10th, 2009 at 12:55 pm

    My friends and I constantly talk about buying a church and converting it into a club/bar and calling it "The Cathedral" with the original paintings still up etc. Why let such a beautiful building go to waste?

14. Gauldar
    February 10th, 2009 at 1:15 pm

    @gtron

    If god it responcible for human stupidity, it makes sense he made this happen too.

    http://www.neatorama.com/2009/01/27/car-crashes-into-church-roof/

15. Lala
    February 10th, 2009 at 4:27 pm

    Also in strip district of pittsburgh, there's a church turned into a nightclub and in philadelphia and church was turned into a concert venue.

16. Justin Lynes
    February 10th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    Here in Charleston, the Holy City (a name earned by all the churchs in our skyline), there is a church in one of the shopping districts that is now an Atlanta Bread Company.

17. RayL
    February 21st, 2009 at 9:36 pm

    There's a restaurant called 'The Church' in Stratford, Ontario -- site of long-running Shakespeare Festival. There are at least two condos based on churches in Toronto.

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