True Community with No Strings Attached →

Worship Facilities
Cathy Hutchison | Mar. 26, 2019

Four churches creating spaces based on neighborhood needs. How connected is your church to the community? Not the community you’ve created inside it. The community you would connect to if you stepped out the front door and just started walking. Of course, being what the community needs isn’t as easy as it sounds. Churches develop over time, and neighborhoods grow and evolve. These changes can sometimes result in disconnects. Here are four churches who decided to radically engage their communities, and how they are doing it.

Redesigning sacred spaces to serve their communities - and save their congregations →

Religion News Service
Caroline Cunningham | January 2, 2019

It was cold and dark on a December afternoon but the crowd at the Philadelphia Center for Architecture was packed in, standing at the back and down the sides of the room — clergy shoulder to shoulder with architects, ordinary citizens with community organizers. They were gathered to see the results of Infill Philadelphia, a design competition hosted every couple of years in the city to improve community spaces.

How saving Philly's historic sacred spaces can make the city stronger | Opinion →

The Inquirer
Robert Jaeger & Beth Miller | December 10, 2018

In many cities and towns, a third or more of the historic sacred places are at risk of closing in the next 10 to 20 years unless new uses and new resources can be found. Losing these neighborhood anchors threatens the communities in which they sit, many of them low-income and disadvantaged.

Enter “Infill Philadelphia: Sacred Places/Civic Spaces,” the exciting new partnership between Partners for Sacred Places and the Community Design Collaborative. Its purpose is to generate innovative design concepts and solutions for the re-activation of underutilized spaces in local historic sacred places.

Big building plans unveiled for Philadelphia Masjid →

The Philadelphia Tribune
Samaria Bailey | December 7, 2018

The Philadelphia Masjid said Tuesday it will move forward with plans of opening a vocational school and housing following the Infill Philadelphia: Sacred Places/Civic Spaces collaborative design.

The masjid was one of three historic religious sites chosen for the pro-bono design project, which connected architecture firms to the houses of worship, so they could reimagine and enhance their spaces as community hubs.

Sacred spaces reimagined with preservation, Philly communities in mind →

PlanPhilly
Kimberly Haas | December 5, 2018

Philadelphia has no shortage of lux condos carved out of historic churches but how about a grocery story with stained glass windows?

That was one of the ideas shared Tuesday at a grand reveal of conceptual designs through a competition run by Philadelphia’s Community Design Collaborative and Partners for Sacred Places, a national nonprofit that works with congregations to repurpose underused religious buildings for community use.

A New Twist on Salvation →

The Philadelphia Citizen
James Meadows | October 16, 2018

The Annex saved Michael Major. In the mid-70s, when Major was a young teenager, his neighborhood in North Philadelphia was plagued by underperforming schools. Neither of his parents had graduated from high school, but they wanted their son to have better opportunities. The Annex, which was owned and operated by the Zion Baptist Church in North Philadelphia, was an oasis when options for advancement for young adults felt few and far between.

Can these bones live? →

Community Design Collaborative
Rev. Kirk Berlenbach | November 8, 2018

“What if we started to think about church buildings differently? What if instead of the burden or inconvenience they might cause, we focused instead on their potential to make our community a better place? What if we dared to ask, “Can these bones live?””

If you drive around Philadelphia for more than ten minutes, chances are you will come across a closed church. Although they are sad to see, such shuttered or crumbling edifices are now so commonplace that many of us hardly notice. If they enter our consciousness at all, it is only in terms of how such derelict building will impact our property value or if some developer is going to try and squeeze in as many condos as possible and make parking even more of a nightmare.

Dreaming Big →

Community Design Collaborative
Rev. Rebecca Blake | September 4, 2018

By Rev. Rebecca Blake, Pastor and Co-founder of Beacon

“If you had a 5,000 square foot building and large green space, what would you want to see in it that would benefit the neighborhood?”

I spent a lot of time asking that question as I met with neighbors, clergy, nonprofit directors, shop owners, and educators living and working in the Fishtown/Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia in 2011 when Beacon was at the brink of closing or reinventing itself.

Infill Philadelphia Brings Communities Together By Design →

Hidden City Philadelphia
Starr Herr-Cardillo | August 17, 2018

It has been just over three months since the kickoff of Infill Philadelphia: Sacred Places/Civic Spaces, an initiative led by the Community Design Collaborative (Collaborative) and Partners for Sacred Places (Partners) that launched in June.

The endeavor, funded by the William Penn Foundation, seeks to help local congregations “re-envision underutilized, purpose-built religious properties as community hubs” by pairing them with community partners and design teams that will work to creatively brainstorm ways to repurpose underutilized space in manners that engage the surrounding community.

Behind the Design Challenge: Community Task Force Meetings →

Community Design Collaborative
Linda Dottor | August 15, 2018

Imagine… a culinary incubator for “foodie-preneurs,” affordable housing with a day program for seniors, a Night Market showcasing healthy food and live music, a women’s self-defense training center, or a basketball clinic where both kids and adults can raise their game.

Off to a strong start

Community Design Collaborative
Linda Dottor | August 7, 2018

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.

North Broad’s “Lion Of Zion” Finds Strength In Design →

Hidden City Philadelphia
Rachel Hildebrandt | August 8, 2018

The leadership of Zion Baptist Church hopes to tap into the energy associated with Broad and Erie revitalization efforts that have been gaining momentum since Shift Capital’s announced that it will redevelop the long-blighted Beury Building. They hope to reactivate the annex in a way that aids in reenergizing North Broad, while benefiting the Nicetown-Tioga community.

Organizations with deep community roots on mission to strengthen Philadelphia →

WHYY
Susan Richardson | July 17, 2018

In short, Sacred Places/Civic Spaces is another step in using existing structures – both buildings and networks – to strengthen Philly neighborhoods. The project takes three sites around Philly and groups each one with a design firm and a social-service organization. Each team will work for six months on a model for civic space within the specs of what that particular building and neighborhood are like. Rather than simply trying to avoid a problem or react with a short-term fix – as so many faith communities have to do – it’s the chance to have the intention, time, and support to think about solid steps with longer-term potential.

NewsWorks Tonight (Sacred Places/Civic Spaces Initiative Discussion) →

WHYY
June 29, 2018

A week after having the police called on them at a Cinemark theater in West Philadelphia, a black couple are calling for a boycott of the theater chain. Reverend David Brown, Rachel Hildebrandt of Partners for Sacred Spaces and Heidi Segall Levy of the Community Design Collaborative discuss an initiative to incorporate civic spaces into active sacred places. Hikers near Pittsburgh are finding a new sight on a famous trail: the fracking industry. Frank Newport, editor-in-chief at the Gallup Poll, provides insight on the public’s opinion of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Context (Sacred Places/Civic Spaces Initiative Issue) →

AIA Philadelphia
Summer 2018

Sacred Places are ubiquitous. Yet, we are a critical juncture. The fact that sacred places are at risk isn't new, however, the pace at which they are closing may become a crisis for all neighborhoods.

In this collaborative takeover of Context, we are pleased to introduce Sacred Places/Civic Spaces. This is the new topic of Infill: Philadelphia, the proactive community-engaged design initiative of the Community Design Collaborative. Underwritten by the William Penn Foundation, the 18-month series will explore possibilities for underutilized space in historic sacred properties throughout Philadelphia.

Sacred places, civic spaces →

SCOOP USA
June 15, 2018

At the helm of historic struggles, particularly the fight for civil and human rights, is our Faith and support from our religious congregations. One can say that the strength of the community lies in its Faith and the congregation’s ability to provide understanding, encouragement, and support through stewardship and initiating the ideals of working together.

Three historic religious sites embark on a road to preservation and future service →

PLAN PHILLY
Meir Rinde | June 6, 2018

“This is a groundbreaking project, not just for Philadelphia but for the whole nation,” said Robert Jaeger, president of Partners for Sacred Places, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit and a lead partner in the initiative. “We’re creating models here that I think will inspire and support and educate and be a guide to sacred places all around the region and all around the country.”

A joyful launch for Sacred Places/Civic Spaces →

COMMUNITY DESIGN COLLABORATIVE

Over 200 advocates for Philadelphia's sacred spaces joined us to launch Sacred Places/Civic Spaces on June 5th. We were pleased to announce the final three sites and partners selected to participate in the Sacred Places/Civic Spaces design challenge—accompanied by a drum roll from the audience!