Spring Church GRAND CENTER ARTS DISTRICT
ORIGINS: Built in 1883, the church has been home to several congregations. The Memorial Church of God in Christ took possession of the building in the mid-1950s. In 2001, an electrical fire caused severe damage and the congregation made the decision to move on, selling what remained of the structure to Grand Center Inc. for $1. RENOVATION: Although the church remained vacant for 20 years, it slowly turned into a beloved neighborhood gathering place. Its inherent beauty attracted wedding photographers and music videographers who used its stone façade as a backdrop. In 2021, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation acquired the building and committed to preserving it and the adjacent garden, transforming the site into an open-air pavilion for art and community. “We attempted to make as light of a touch as possible,” says Kristin Fleischmann Brewer, the Pulitzer's deputy director of public engagement. In partnership with Kiku Obata & Co., which led the design, the team worked throughout the pandemic years to stabilize the vine-covered building. CHALLENGES: Fleischmann Brewer says that in a Renaissance revivalstyle building, all the structure is on the roof. “Without a roof to help keep everything stable,” she says, “these walls just want to come in. The I-beams are what keep everything standing.” The beams also create opportunities for programming. “It gives us flexibility to add infrastructure for artists to hang things, to add lighting,” she adds. Today, the limestone has been tuckpointed, the gunite repaired, and a conduit for electrical data, lighting, and security installed, all with the purpose of creating a safe, inviting space for the community to gather. ATMOSPHERE: “It's like a public park. Anyone can come and spend time here,” says Fleischmann Brewer. “Everything that we want to happen here, we want to be free and open.”
Woodward Lofts THE GROVE
The headquarters and factory of the Woodward & Developer Worcester Communities engaged Trivers Associates, a local architectural firm, to design 164 loft-style apartments that highlight the building's existing features. One result: an adaptive reuse of the original historic brick “head house,” which once held administrative offices and is now used by residents as community conference rooms. In an enclosed rooftop space, giant water tanks have been carved out and fitted with benches, tables, and lighting to create a seating area. In order to be able to apply for historic tax credits, the team adhered to the guidelines of the National Park Service and the State Historic Preservation Office. “The tricky part is that these are adaptive reuse projects, not preservation projects,” says Joel Fuoss, AIA, Trivers partner/owner. “To adaptively reuse something, you have to understand that it needs a new life for it to be successful for the next 50 years. It's bittersweet because you lose some of those quirky things.” In 2014, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building's materials and graphics evoke its printing history, as seen in its inky-blue color scheme. Sections of the original factory roof have been peeled away to create garden spaces with natural light. The renovation received a 2023 Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects. “You have to think, It's addition by subtraction,” says Fuoss.
