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WHAT'S UP IN NEW DEVELOPMENT
Last week I talked a bit about the various
tax-exempt entities that dominate the physi
cal and economic landscape locally. This week
I'd like to dial down on one particular subset
of those: churches and other houses of wor
ship. No longer is a church a simple sanctuary.
Nowadays, parochial complexes cover acres
and acres, including multiple worship and
meeting spaces, offices, classrooms, gymnasia,
athletic fields and acres of parking. The phe
nomenon of mega-churches takes this to the
extreme, with 10,000-member congregations
and buildings the size of malls. There's even
one with a McDonald's inside; we won't get
into the spiritual ramifications of that.
What we're really looking at is the subur
banization of religious buildings, and there
are two corridors in Athens that illustrate the
process. You may have noticed the bulldoz
ers parting the sea of red clay on Epps Bridge
Parkway. That's the future 45-acre-plus home
of Saint Joseph Catholic Church (equivalent
to about 15 blocks). The land they chose is
literally the last stop before Oconee County,
and St. Joe's isn't the only church migrating
toward the T>urbs. Prince Avenue—excuse me,
Highway 78 Baptist Church—headed that
way a few years back, turning over its former
campus to Piedmont College, though they
brought the old name along for the ride. What
will happen to the current St. Joe's property?
A planner friend of mine shared with me
the unattributed statistic that it takes about
10 years for a mixed-use development to get
its retail mix worked out and stable, and the
Bottleworks on Prince seems to follow that
supposed trend. The St. Joe's property, if rede
veloped, could help the area reach a critical
mass of businesses.
Emmanuel Episcopal Church, up the
street, is one of the churches on the block
that's sticking around. It is in the early stages
of planning for growth and has the potential
to significantly enhance Prince Avenue with
new buildings. From the President's House
to the Huddle House, Emmanuel has a big
opportunity in front of it Two thrift stores
and a restaurant are on the church's property
already; could those be pulled forward to pro
vide street-level retail in a new building, with
the typical parochial offices and classrooms
above? The question for Emmanuel will be
whether the design for any new construction
looks more like new suburban churches or
takes on an urban character which enhances
the value and walkability of the surround
ing area. If churches are getting bigger and
bigger, then any strategy that breaks up the
massiveness or plugs back into the city life
around it is a worthwhile one. Otherwise, we'll
get huge blocks of dead space.
First Christian Church of Athens at Prince
and Dougherty is one of our strongest local
examples of ecclesiastic urban architecture. It
may not necessarily be an active generator of
activity, but it does contribute to a harmoni
ous streetscape and anchor a prominent corner
in a way that the much larger churches on
two nearby corners fail to. Catty-corner, First
Baptist Church's big round tower in a fenced
lawn, while a nice contrast to the bleaker feel
of Dougherty Street on blocks east, doesn't
do too much to engage the street. Neither
does the backside of First Presbyterian
Church of Athens,
with a parking deck
treating Dougherty as
downtown's back alley,
rather than a continua
tion of Prince's stately
character. These
facilities may meet
the churches' needs,
but they certainly
don't add much life
to the neighborhood.
First Presbyterian did
get an award from
the Athens-Clarke
Heritage Foundation
for its new additions,
including the glass
wing between two
historic structures on
Hancock, which does
make an interesting
and dynamic contribu
tion to the street.
Back out Epps Bridge, another issue worth
considering is what happens to rural churches
when the farms and fields that once sur
rounded them disappear. Chestnut Grove
Baptist Church, at Timothy and Epps Bridge
roads, still has the old, white clapboard cha
pel sitting off to the side; however, the grow
ing parish has since built a newer chapel and
is now adding new wings onto that Tuckston
United Methodist Church out on Lexington
Highway also illustrates the pattern, having
added a train of buildings extending away
from the original chapel over the genera
tions. The little cemeteries and chapels, hid
den among newer and bigger buildings, are
remnants and reminders of days gone by. It's
too bad the features and craftsmanship of
those charming little structures aren't bet
ter emulated and incorporated into today's
construction.
Churches are tax-exempt, presumably as an
exchange for the community services they
provide. It's hard to measure those intangi
bles that these institutions contribute to our
community; however, they do have physical
footprints which have the ability to positively
or negatively impact the value of a surround
ing area. There has even been a movement
toward green churches which minimize their
environmental footprints. What is the physical
church doing for its environment these days,
and is it the responsibility of the people who
dwell in that church to make sure it's doing
the most it can for the wortd around it?
Kevan Williams athensrising@flagpole.com
While the many churches along Prince Avenue are quite handsome, First Christian
Church does the best job of presenting a human-scaled facade to the street.
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JUNE 23,2010 • FLA6POLE.COM
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