Spring Avenue Church

This study aimed to assess the feasibility of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation to use the abandoned eighteenth-century church as a public space for events and temporary installations. The church was partially destroyed in a fire in 2001, which left only the masonry shell standing. Information about the church design was limited to a few photographs and drawings from engineers who designed the temporary shoring after the fire. After a site visit to St Louis to survey the church and photographically document the existing conditions, we determined that the existing masonry walls were insufficiently braced when subjected to seismic loads and required reinforcing. Respecting the Foundation’s desire to leave the church interior free of obstructions and open to the sky, we developed a schematic reinforcing system that lines the masonry walls.

In 2020, the Pulitzer engaged Kiku Obata & Company and McNealey Engineering to realize the full project completed in 2022, which included the walls’ reinforcement, masonry repairs, utility installations and creating accessible pathways. Additionally, the Pulitzer purchased and enhanced the adjacent formerly-vacant lot to create a publicly accessible green space designed by Studio Land Arts.