Heavenly Creatures

While sustainable development can often seem serious and even austere, there is a great deal of fun and humor related to sustainable development. After all, once you accept that we live in a world of finite resources, figuring out how best to use those resources involves creativity and ingenuity, or in other words - fun.

Take for example, the physical structure of an ancient church. Cities around the world are littered with abandoned churches, either remnants of a more religious era or vestiges before a regional shift in faith. The structures, which are often too historical and too attractive to be simply torn down, and in fact, the construction is often superior to more recent constructions. Rather than allowing these beautiful structures to fall victim to neglect and decay there is an increasing movement to convert churches into living structures more in tune with the current culture of their environs. The results are often beautiful, interesting, and altogether unique.

In New York, for example, what was once The Church of the Holy Communion and Buildings, a gothic revival Episcopal Church originally constructed from 1844, was turned into a night club in 1983 after declining parish size led the church to be sold. The club was shut down in 2007 and in spring of 2010 re-opened as a high-end marketplace with more than sixty shops selling jewelry, clothes, and confections.

The idea of turning a church into a place of commerce is a popular one. In Maastricht, Netherlands, an 800 Dominican cathedral was converted into a three story bookstore. This feat was accomplished by erecting a multi-story steel structure within the space, allowing the booksellers to full use the space, without diminishing the awe that the space was originally designed to evoke.

In Bordeaux, France the local independent theater, Cinema Utopia, is what used to be St.Simeon church. The main ticketing desk and cafe are housed in what was once the church proper while the movie theaters are in rooms in the back that were once rooming quarters.

Finally, in Warrnambol Australia they've taken the idea of converting a church to its next most logical conclusion. They've converted a church into a luxury hotel.

Photo Credits: Bert K