A Century-Old Church Becomes Twelve Sought-After Townhomes in Seattle
Written by Blake Miller Photography by Michael Walmsley Photography
It seems an unlikely fit. A century-old church boasting Classical Revival architectural detailing, soaring Corinthian columns, and massive stained glass coupled with modern technology and sleek, contemporary accents and furnishings. It’s the collision of two wholly different styles, and yet the meeting of the two is seamlessly blended to create a space that is unlike any other in the city of Seattle.
“It’s never easy to blend old with new,” says Brian Runberg, principal architect on the renovation of The Sanctuary, twelve concrete-and-steel townhomes housed within the historic 106-year-old church. “It’s truly a spectacular space.”
Perched high above on Capitol Hill, one of Seattle’s toniest neighborhoods, The Sanctuary was once the First Church of Christ, Scientist. After the congregation could no longer afford to keep the church, it chose to sell to a developer. But because it’s a historic landmark, certain channels needed to be taken in order to preserve the integrity and history of the structure. The wooden pews, which had been original to the church when it was built in 1906, were repurposed and used as the stair treads in each of the twelve units, while the stunning stained-glass windows remained in place and were used as a focal point in many of the townhomes.
Other architectural elements such as the cornice detailing and molding were kept intact and remained where they were or were carefully moved throughout the space. The original plaster walls and ceilings were paired with newer, more modern drywall in such a way that it’s indistinguishable. “We dissected every element in the building, from the pews to the trim to the existing doorways,” says Runberg, “and figured out how to repurpose them in some way.”
The interior design was put in the hands of interior designer Robin Chell, who used her experience as principal of her eponymous firm to create a modern look that blended well with the much older, traditional detailing of the church. “We wanted all of the moldings, cornice detailing, and stained glass to stand out on their own,” says Chell of making the church’s original architectural details the focal point of the space.
To keep the focus on these historical elements, Chell chose a neutral monochromatic color palette, which worked well with the existing ultra-modern epoxy-finished concrete floors, birch cabinetry, and Carrera marble countertops. In the dining room, Chell especially didn’t want to compete with the large stained-glass window that overlooks the two-story dining area. Instead, “we enhanced it with pops of color in the napkins,” she says of the accents on the Restoration Hardware farm table. “There were little pops of red in the stained glass, so we pulled that out.” Originally there was to be a two-story chandelier that hung above the dining room table to make the large, open space feel more intimate. The plan was scrapped, though, because it took away from the architectural detailing in the room. Instead, an arc floor lamp by Artemide purchased at Alchemy in Seattle was added to create the intimate feeling. To soften the harder lines from the modern elements in the dining area, Chell added a silk wool area rug, also purchased at Alchemy.
The resulting design, both the interior decor and the architectural detailing, is one that preserves the integrity of the church’s rich history, the goal of the project from the very beginning. “Our initial program was, ‘How can we preserve better aspects of the quality and integrity of this without destroying the overall composition?’” says Runberg. “In the end, I think we satisfied not only the historic landmark commission’s request but also the greater community by artfully preserving such a great landmark in their neighborhood.”
[Source: Miller, Blake. "Breaking Bread" Home By Design. October-November 2012. Web. 06 November 2012.]
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