Site Redevelopment
Over the past three years the church’s most visible mission project has been the redevelopment of our church site at 10th and G Streets.
For a number of years, we knew that our church building – the most obvious physical symbol of our faith witness in the middle of the nation’s capital and the home where we worshipped, housed other congregations and religious groups who rented space from us, hosted the Dinner Program for Homeless Women (a major provider of meals, social services, counseling, legal assistance, and many other programs for the homeless and disadvantaged), and conducted other outreach to the communities around us – had simply grown too old, tired, inaccessible and, frankly, unattractive to serve as the home for a church as vibrant as we are and desiring to become an even more compelling presence in a city rapidly evolving around us. The church voted to appoint a Site Redevelopment Task Force to explore options ranging from rehabilitation of the existing structure to a total tear down-rebuild. With immense commitments of time and talent from members of the congregation generally, along with those having expertise in finance, legal matters, design concepts and planning, accounting, fundraising, and other professions relevant to a major real estate project, the Task Force conducted a strategic planning process to explore the options and report back to the congregation.
With guidance from retained consultants, the church members performed research and conducted interviews and held hearings with industry representatives, community leaders, representatives of government regulatory agencies, and potential development partners culminating in a recommendation, approved by the congregation, to go forward with the preparation of a Request For Proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of the site. After hearings and meetings of the congregation, the church voted to go forward with negotiations for site redevelopment with a consortium consisting of two highly respected local real estate developing entities, PN Hoffman, Inc., and ER Bacon Development, LLC.
Following an extended period of negotiations, FCUCC and Hoffman/Bacon entered into a Purchase, Sale and Development Agreement, on November 13, 2007, for site redevelopment to include removal of the existing building (now referred to as the “Middle Church”) and construction of 35,000 square feet of church, social service, administration and education space (plus 20 owned garage parking spaces and right of use of an additional 30 garage parking spaces for Sunday worship services and regularly scheduled special events on Maundy Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day). The church space, designed by world renowned architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien, is to be wrapped within a 150,000 square foot premiere, LEED certified office building.
The Middle Church building is down (consistent with a “green” project philosophy, a very high percentage of the old building was re-cycled), the site cleared and excavated, and below-grade construction has begun. It is likely the actual move-in date will be summer or fall of 2010.
It would be an understatement to say that this project has involved, and throughout the ongoing process will continue to involve, many exciting opportunities and challenges, including the design of space that will be welcoming to all aspects of the community and that will permit the church to expand its outreach in the downtown area and beyond. Among the challenges we face is the inclusion of on-going service programs in the new space, as well as planning space that will allow for community and church functions. In addition, we have made intentional efforts to be good stewards of the environment through “green design.” And last, but certainly not least, we are happily engaged in envisioning both the worship service that will celebrate our return home and how this new space will be the spring board for better, greater, more faithful witness to God who is still speaking.
Sketches
- Streetscape (entire building)
- Narthex sketch (view looking north)
- Sanctuary sketch (view looking east at organ & chapel)
- Sanctuary sketch (view looking northwest)
Floorplans
- ground floor (social services and sanctuary)
- mezzanine (social services)
- second floor (church)
Additional information:
- 733 10th & G site (PN Hoffman)
- New Church Only in Their Prayers (Washington Post, February 24, 2009)
