Christ Temple MB Church
Completed 2011
Designed & built in collaboration with Andrew J. Spatz Associates
Christ Temple is a 4,500 sqft adaptive reuse worship facility and community center located in central Evanston. In 2008, the congregation, led by Pastor Ken Cherry, was seeking to find a permanent home when two small commercial storefront locations became available in the same neighborhood where they were currently renting space. The church program, which included a worship space for 250 people, offices and support services, was a perfect fit to breathe life back into the dilapidated structures. Diagrammatically, the church is composed of two volumes, one housing the worship space and the other support services, with entry and circulation occurring in the void between. An innovative approach to traditional church design and its identifiable architectural elements drove the creative process. The building reimagines the formal characteristics of these elements (narthex, steeple and clerestory windows) while still capturing the spirit of their original intent.
