|
The Historic All Saints Church in Stuart, Iowa is about to be transformed by a $2.75 million restoration project. The former church was once voted the Most Beautiful Church in Iowa by the readers of the Des Moines Register, but then fell victim to a hate crime in 1995 by an arsonist who wanted to "take the heart and soul out of a community". The parish has since built a new Catholic church on the outskirts of town, but the Project Restore Foundation didn't give up over the years and have successfully rallied for its restoration. After beinging awarded a Vision Iowa grant, the city of Stuart passed a tax referendum in order to help pay for the old church to become a community cultural center. This much-needed public space will serve as host to concerts, school events, weddings, family gatherings, conferences and more.
Kirk Blunck of HLKB Architecture in Des Moines is the lead architect with Koester Construction of Grimes. Together they will build a unique adaptive reuse of the structure and create the new home of the Saints Center for Culture and the Arts. The facility won't look exactly the way it did before the fire and in fact, leaders plan to leave some of the walls exposed as an educational experience. And interestingly, this project will be complete almost exactly 100 years later after the first dedication of the building back in 1910 by the city's forefathers.
To donate resources or for more information about the Saints Center for Culture and the Arts, please contact Tom Smull at 515-280-7234.
|
|