Sacred Places/Civic Spaces got off to a strong start in May 2018 with a joyful launch that brought together 200 stakeholders in the future of Philadelphia’s historic sacred places. The energy we witnessed that evening continues. Here’s an update on what has happened since.
The launch of Sacred Places/Civic Spaces included an exhibition of design precedents from Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and other cities. These 23 projects will be on display at the Center for Architecture and Design through September 10, 2018.
The launch brought media attention to both the initiative and the untapped potential for sacred places to serve as civic spaces in Philadelphia and other cities. Media coverage included Three historic religious sites embark on a road to preservation and future service (PlanPhilly), Organizations with deep community roots on mission to strengthen Philadelphia (WHYY), From sacred to civic, new life for old Philly churches (WHYY NewsWorks Tonight), and Sacred Places/Civic Spaces (Scoop USA).
Sacred Places/Civic Spaces was also the theme of the Summer 2018 issue of AIA Philadelphia's Context magazine. Beth Miller, Executive Director of the Community Design Collaborative, and Robert Jaeger, President of Partners for Sacred Places served as guest editors.
During the last two weeks of July, the three congregations engaged in the Sacred Places/Civic Spaces Design Challenge hosted community task force meetings. Over fifty stakeholders came out for each meeting to tour the sites, identify the unique assets of the congregations and communities, and take the first steps in envisioning civic spaces for these sacred places.
The design teams are taking everything they learned back to the studio and preparing for a mid-review with site representatives and an expert jury in October. Final designs will be presented at a public reveal on December 4, 2018. Look out for an invitation to join us!
P.S. Philly Free Streets celebrates North Broad Street on Saturday, August 11. Show us you’re a fan of Sacred Places/Civic Spaces by visiting Arch Street United Methodist Church (55 North Broad), Rodeph Shalom (615 North Broad), Berean Presbyterian Church (2101 North Broad) and Zion Baptist Church (3600 North Broad).
