Articles of Faith

I was downtown this morning for an appointment. It was a glorious, sunny day in Chicago. I welcome you Spring, but you are long overdue! Before catching a train back to my apartment, I walked through the Chicago Cultural Center... and got caught in a school field trip. bleh. Mr. Jordano's photography exhibition triggered a memory from college. His recent book documents African American storefront churches on the south and west sides of Chicago.
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I organized our graduate thesis team and we partnered with Bethel New Life, a faith-based organization in the Austin neighborhood. Austin is larger than most Chicago neighborhoods and has struggled greatly over the years- particularly since the 1960s. {more background here.} The first part of the year, we concentrated on a feasibility study of the community and drove up-and-down pretty much EVERY STREET and documented the building stock. This included single-family housing, multi-unit housing, noticeable vacant buildings, vacant lots, schools, churches, businesses, parks, etc. As you would imagine, it was quite time consuming! Our neighborhood documentation also highlighted another building type: storefront churches. There were a lot- still are. Using the feasibility study, we each chose a site and a building type we thought the community might benefit from; and developed a schematic design proposal to present to Bethel. My project was a faith-based, aftercare facility for female ex-offenders and their children. I chose the abandoned parking garage site that Bethel acquired when they bought the old hospital campus.
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I think about our thesis project a lot.

Brad is lucky enough to work with one of our college buddies (and thesis group mates). I had a full circle moment not too long ago. Apparently, their architecture office is "in talks" to develop the parking garage site (for housing?). Though I think the project is temporarily on hold given the current economy.