THE CHURCH
Sag Harbor, NY
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.
Services
Concept Design
Site Planning
Architectural Design
Graphic Design
Size
12,000 sf
Awards
2024 SARA NY Council Design Excellence Award
2024 NY Architectural Design Silver Award
Historical Preservation and Renovation Category
2021 AIA Long Island Archi Award
Winner, Historic Restoration/Adaptive Re-Use Category
2021 BLT Built Design Award
Winner, Restoration & Renovation Category
2021 Architecture MasterPrize Award
Winner, Restoration & Renovation Category
2021 Architizer A+ Award
Finalist, Architecture + Adaptive Reuse Category
2021 Architect’s Newspaper Best of Design Award
Editor’s Choice, Adaptive Reuse Category
2021 IDA Design Awards
Bronze, Restoration & Renovation Category
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.
“A Virtual Tour of The Church,” directed by Nick Whelan, features music by the legendary guitarist, G.E. Smith, and interviews with the Church’s Executive Director, Sara Cochran, and Church owners April Gornik and Eric Fischl.
RELATED PROJECTS
DOWNTOWN COMMUNITY TELEVISION (DCTV)
THE NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE MUSEUM
SAG HARBOR HISTORIC HOME