CHURCH RESIDENCE –

ADAPTIVE REUSE

Nida Fatima
Patan Bibi Hajira
Rushda Rafeeq PK
Surya Kiran
Varna Vichithran
 LOCATION : CHICAGO, UNITED STATES
 Architects: Linc Thelen Design, 
Scrafano Architects
 Area:5500.0 ft²
 Year:2015
  Small churches can provide an excellent opportunity
for residential conversions, offering both architectural
character and solidly built structures.
 Typically, they also include large spaces that give
PROCESS OF architects a blank canvas on which to design fluid,
open-concept interiors.
CONVERSION  When Scrafano Architects and Linc Thelen Design
 took on this church conversion near Chicago,
however, they didn’t have such a blank canvas to
work with – someone else had beaten them to it.
To transform this
space, the design
team gutted the
entire building,
stripping it to the
bare structure.
BEFORE
Existing staircase that
will be transformed
with a floating landing
with glass panels.
Removing the ceiling to
expand our vision.
Taking up to 25feet to
expose timber beams
 This 5500 square foot project was a
conversion from a church to a single-
family home for a busy family with three
young children. 
 The church, boasts 7 bedrooms and 6
baths. 
 The great room has ceiling heights
soaring at 25’ while more intimate spaces
like a playroom has a ceiling height
perfectly portioned for a peanut at 7’. 
 Finishes were selected to create a hip and
eclectic vibe pairing interesting wallpapers
and light fixtures. 
In its first go as a residence, the building saw its front and rear split into two
storeys, and its central volume given over to a double-height living room with
7.6 metre ceilings. Here, a series of low walls had been used as partitions,
with central parts of the main floor taken up by staircases leading up to
bedrooms or down to ground level.
To transform this space, the design team
gutted the entire building, stripping it to
the bare structure.
Once again a portion of the great room was split between two
levels, but this time, instead of the rear of the building, it was a
section running front-to-back that was partitioned off by a two-
storey wall with a dramatic fireplace.
They built it anew, with quartz countertops
and stained-hickory casework, beautifully
contrasted against the large pre-existing
stained-glass windows.
Many of the home’s details are preserved
and enhanced from its former life; the bell
tower has been reclaimed as a media room,
and the existing ceilings have been stripped
back to explose the formerly hidden wooden
beams and iron turnbuckles.
To these traces of the structure’s former life,
new elements have been added. Access to
the new upstairs bedrooms is provided by
Linc Thelen’s glass and steel staircase, which
extends catwalk-like over the great room.
Linc Thelen also custom-designed the dining
table, Murphy bed, and – in one of the
bedrooms – even added a rock-climbing wall.
 The final touches are a new slate of contemporary
furnishings and lighting fixtures, energized by the
judicious use of highly graphic wallcoverings .
 Linc custom designed and fabricated many of the
home’s details like the climbing wall, dining room
table, Murphy bed in the nursery and much of the
furniture. 
The home showcases historic details of the church with
original stained glass windows, bell tower, exposed brickwork
and ceiling turnbuckles while integrating all of the
conveniences of modern living.
THANK YOU