Adaptive reuse projects are gaining ground in many areas where sustainable solutions are paramount and financing streams for new construction are drying up. But it’s not all office-to-residential conversions, as the post-pandemic market indicates. Building typologies that are particularly ripe for redevelopment include historic churches and theaters. From Portland, ME to Portland, OR, and everywhere in between—as well as internationally—these often underutilized properties are becoming hotels, restaurants, residences, retail stores, gyms and sports arenas, tattoo parlors, parking garages, and even indoor skate parks!
Sanika Kulkarni and Angel Ayón have reprised their presentation on this topic once again on February 27th for students in Pratt Institute’s Historic Preservation master’s degree program. Featuring researched examples along with AYON Studio’s own project experience—including St. Paul’s German Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Times Square Theater, Flushing RKO Keith’s, the Nitehawk, and Theater 80, the lecture offered a wealth of cultural building reuse case studies, making the case for creative adaptive reuse not only as a more sustainable alternative to new construction, but as a way to help preserve historic architectural fabric in these ever-evolving communities.