McColl Center for Visual Art: Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church - Charlotte, NC
North Carolina
Formerly the Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church Charlotte, NC
PROJECT DETAILS
Project Name: McColl Center for Visual Art
Historic Name: Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church
Denomination: Presbyterian
Architect: James Mackson McMichael
Construction Date: 1926/27
Date of Closure: 1974
Date of Fire: 1985
Date of Reuse: 1998/99
Address: 721 North Tryon Street Charlotte, NC 28202
Neighborhood: Fourth Ward
Reuse: (Principal) Visual arts center; artists-in-residence; studio space. (Secondary) Gallery.
Building Size: Total includes 34,000 sq. ft. 9 studios range from 320-750 sq. ft. Gallery spaces encompasses 22,000 sq. ft.
Project Cost: $6,000,0000 / $175 per sq. ft.
Designation: Listed on the Charlotte- Mecklenburg Register, 1989.
Recognition: Charlotte Chapter AIA Design Award, 1999; State of North Carolina Design Award, 2002
The former Associate Reformed Presbyterian Church stood as a ruin along the Charlotte Beltway for nearly fifteen years after being nearly destroyed in an accidental fire set by squatters. Until the 1990s, the ghostly remnants of the church were a sign of the blight and abandonment of the downtown core. Now, the shell has been transformed into an innovative center for visual arts and represents the possible redevelopment of the area.
Although the church had been one of the most active in downtown Charlotte, the congregation’s membership and endowment declined over time. Starting in the 1950s, there was a steady loss of church members due to the decline in downtown Charlotte and postwar suburban growth. By 1974, with mounting costs and needed renovations, the congregation was forced to sell the church. In 1981 a condominium development was proposed for the site that never materialized. During this time it stood vacant and unused while foreign owners sought to find a reuse strategy. A cataclysmic fire in 1985 destroyed everything other than the exterior walls, and the church building was deemed unusable by everyone in the community. But Hugh McColl, CEO of Bank of America and a local resident with an interest in the arts, persuaded his company to purchase the property and pursue a redevelopment scheme based on cultural arts. In 1996 the bank began work with the local architecture firm FMK to look at possibilities for creating a space for artists to live and work in a new, modern variation of the traditional concept of an artist’s colony. The design challenge for Mark Fishero of FMK Architects was to be respectful of the ruined features of the church but also to construct a high--end facility for artists working in multiple mediums. He consulted extensively with artists who worked in metal, wood, ceramics and textiles in order to understand their studio needs for lighting and space. He also sought to define common denominators on which to base the design.
What developed was a response to the needs of the artists mixed with a sensitivity to the characteristics of the shell of the church. Instead of cleaning the interior brick walls, he designed a three--story gallery along one wall that faced the scorch marks on the other side of the chancel. He designed steel and aluminum pointed--arched windows, high ceilings and lots of natural light and views of the city. Resident artists are also provided a fully--furnished condominium across the street from the Center. Facilities for blacksmithing, ceramics/ pottery, digital media, fiber arts, film/digital editing, metal shop, painting, photography, sculpture, and woodworking are offered. Exhibition/ installation space is also provided. All facilities are fully wheelchair--accessible, and are specially equipped for the visually impaired. The McColl Center is very much a public resource for Charlotte. An open--door policy encourages visitors and artists to interact. Tours are also sometimes offered and artists are encouraged to be available to show their work and answer questions. In addition, each artist is required to do two outreaches in the community. This include lectures and workshops. The senior staff of the center curates exhibition shows to profile the artists in residence. Since the McColl Center’s inception, two of the visiting artists have relocated to Charlotte. The Center prides itself on “creating a regional identity with a national and international outlook.” Financing for the McColl Center was primarily funded through Bank of America. Additional donations came from private individuals, as well as The Arts and Science Council, which helps support programming and operating costs. Support also comes from grants, facility fees, endowment income, and commissions.
The technical innovations were based on a design that was adaptable to the artists’ current needs but would also offer flexibility for future interior configurations. Outlets were installed in the ceiling, and walls were built of metal studs, so that an artist could easily double his/her space by taking over the adjacent studio. The lighting in the studios can be adjusted to either incandescent or fluorescent, and an air--to—air heat exchanger vents all chemical smells safely out of the building.
The McColl Center hosts six artists--in residence who stay for a three--month fellowship in the Fall and Winter. While there, artists are provided with a stipend for materials while they lead community outreach workshops. Nine studio spaces in the former church range from 320 to 750 square feet. Each was designed to capitalize on the original church’s architecture, with pointed--arched windows, high ceilings and lots of natural light and views of the city. Resident artists are also provided a fully--furnished condominium across the street from the Center.
Facilities for blacksmithing, ceramics/ pottery, digital media, fiber arts, film/digital editing, metal shop, painting, photography, sculpture, and woodworking are offered. Exhibition/ installation space is also provided. All facilities are fully wheelchair--accessible, and are specially equipped for the visually impaired.
The McColl Center is very much a public resource for Charlotte. An open--door policy encourages visitors and artists to interact. Tours are also sometimes offered and artists are encouraged to be available to show their work and answer questions. In addition, each artist is required to do two outreaches in the community. This include lectures and workshops. The senior staff of the center curates exhibition shows to profile the artists in residence. Since the McColl Center’s inception, two of the visiting artists have relocated to Charlotte. The Center prides itself on “creating a regional identity with a national and international outlook.”
Financing for the McColl Center was primarily funded through Bank of America. Additional donations came from private individuals, as well as The Arts and Science Council, which helps support programming and operating costs. Support also comes from grants, facility fees, endowment income, and commissions.
The McColl Center is located in the Fourth Ward neighborhood, an area of downtown Charlotte surrounded by the Charlotte Beltway. In addition to the Center, the site now consists of a large paved parking lot, with future redevelopment being discussed.
Seeing the former shadow of a church become a space used around the clock has led to more support and excitement for revitalizing downtown. The McColl Center is credited with both adding new residents and visitors to a previously desolate section of Charlotte. 2002 artist in residence Agnes Yombwe says, “ the residency gave me time, space, and materials— three essential ingredients in the life of an artist.”
This project successfully shows how historic religious properties can be adaptively reused and contribute to the culture and economy of a community. Center president Suzanne Fetscher states, “the McColl Center has given more weight to the economic side of cultural development.”
For more information contact:
McColl Center for Visual Art
721 North Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202
(704) 332-5535
www.mccollcenter.org
