The Church

The Church, located in Sag Harbor, NY, is a 12,000 square foot comprehensive adaptive reuse and restoration project that returns this once-shuttered religious structure back to the community as a vibrant center for creativity.

Developed in close collaboration with the clients, the re-imagined facility features an artists-in-residence program with on-site accommodations, flexible making spaces, exhibition galleries, resource library, and public garden.

A DIALOGUE BETWEEN PAST AND PRESENT
Our approach recognizes the rich history of the facility, while celebrating contemporary interventions that facilitate a transcendence of typology. Demolition from prior restoration attempts revealed rustic wood framing throughout, and maintaining this exposure set up a compelling dialogue between past and present, allowing for the sublime geometry of the original structure to emerge in dramatic relief.

PORTRAITS IN GLASS
Additions to the space are expressed to accentuate their formal integrity while complementing original elements, and a revelation of light-filled volumes and rich material textures characterizes the spatial experience. Portraits of notable East End artists painted by our client, Eric Fischl, have been transferred to translucent film and mounted within the windows of the exhibit space to both welcome visitors and to emanate as illuminated beacons of the community. They present themselves as a modern interpretation of traditional stained-glass windows.