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Sacred Places Civic Spaces

Wharton-Wesley United Methodist Church
Philadelphia, PA

BH+L was selected as one of three architectural firms to participate in an Infill Philadelphia initiative sponsored by the Community Design Collaborative and Partners for Sacred Places.  Each firm was paired with a congregation and a neighborhood advocacy group to re-imagine the congregation's aging and underused building as a community asset and a source of revenue.  The BH+L team focused on modest but impactful improvements to enhance the building's best features, provide the spaces and facilities that the neighborhood could enjoy and help make the building accessible and welcoming to the neighbors. The improvements proposed in this initiative can serve as a model for other congregations looking to preserve and monetize their buildings and become the center of community activities. 

Infill Philadelphia: Sacred Places Civic Spaces is a winner of the Grand Jury Award of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and the AIA Philadelphia's

Paul Sehnert Award for Community Design.

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