Our Town: Buckhead Urban church seeks to blend with community

By H.M. Cauley

The construction at the corner of Peachtree Road and 25th Street in Buckhead isnt far enough along to look like what it will turn out to be: a new community church. In fact, it might not appear much like a church when its finished, either. And thats part of the plan.

The aim is to have an urban feel to the church that serves an urban environment, said Paul Gardner, senior pastor of the Christ Church Presbyterian congregation that is building the new facility. We want to serve this area, and its a thoroughly urban one.

The church has a 20-year history at its current location, tucked away near the end of Peachtree Park Drive. Since its inception, it has grown steadily, drawing members and visitors to its extensive musical, art and childrens programs. Gardner, who moved to Atlanta from the United Kingdom eight years ago, took on the challenge of finding a new location.

Where we are now has always been regarded as temporary, said Gardner. One of the reasons I came here was to establish the church where we wanted to be, and the southern part of Buckhead was the obvious place because its pretty densely populated, with houses, condos and apartments within walking distance.

The congregation supported efforts to put the new church on the footprint of a former office building, which also helps it blend into the neighborhood.

The idea from the get-go was to build in a sustainable way, and part of that was using the existing building as much as we could, said Jerry Spangler, director of architecture at TSW, the firm overseeing the project. It was a sound structure, so we were able to use some of it, but that also means it certainly wont be a traditional-looking Southern church.

The physical structure will be built right to the sidewalk, said Spangler, helping it to blend in with the nearby streetscape of shops and offices. A prominent street-side feature will be a coffeehouse that Gardner envisions as a community gathering place. An art gallery just inside the entrance will be large enough for juried exhibitions.

We want a church that reaches out to the arts community, since were very close to (Savannah College of Art and Design) and the arts area of northern Midtown, said Gardner. We already have a great music and arts program, and we want to encourage the arts community around us to join us.

The south Buckhead location also affords proximity to the demographics the church already attracts.

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Our Town: Buckhead Urban church seeks to blend with community