First Baptist Additions & Renovations

[westsider28]

Just found that First Baptist is proposing significant additions and renovations to their "campus".  They will go up for review at the Dec. 7 DRB meeting.  Phase 1 is a gymnasium addition to The Hangar.  Phase 2 is an education addition/renovation to their main facility.  There's a skybridge proposed between the main facility and The Hangar, and there are 2 outlines for future buildings, including a future sanctuary / worship building.  Below are some screenshots from the DRB packets.

IMO, The Hangar addition turns its back to Dunbar Street, which I don't like.  For the education addition, I don't like the curb cut on Main for the curved parking lot (even if it's "temporary").  I also don't like the skybridge for philosophical reasons (i.e. it takes people off the street).  Design-wise, the additions/renovations look pretty cool and certainly modern.

I have a dream of both their parking lots being redeveloped as a public/private/church partnership with a parking deck and apartments (including affordable units) on the rear parking lot facing Barnet Park, and a parking deck and office/mixed-use on the Main Street parking lot.  But alas, that will probably never happen.

Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Edited November 30, 2021 by westsider28
typos

[Spartan]

I'm less interested in this addition - its pretty ugly - but more interested in the future "worship center" as that could be a very nice front door for that church to Main Street. 

Agree on the parking out front. That's unfortunate, but that block of Main Street will always be huge gap. Hard to see the vibrant part of downtown expanding past FBC anytime in the foreseeable future.

The skybridge is dumb - are the 7 cars per hour that use Converse Street too much for them to handle walking across the street? First Pres has a tunnel under Chestnut St, though, so it's going to be hard for the City to say no. Maybe they could convince them a tunnel is a better route? 

[mainonmain]

Terrible use of downtown property.

[BorninSparkleCity]

IMO - This is an unfortunately composed addition to the classsic (but not very imaginative red brick and white column church) style of this Baptist Church.

[Spartanburg Dude]

3 hours ago, mainonmain said:

Terrible use of downtown property.

100% Agree. 

[hub-city]

Looks like the church approved this today.  It is a 34 million project.  They will start on the gym first so they can tear the old one down for the education building.  Construction could start in late July.  Said they are working with the city on a few design issues mainly the green & parking space at the corner of Main and Converse.

[mainonmain]

Hope the city hassles the hell out of them over everything.  Make em give up, sell their property and go build a mega church out in the county.

[Spartanburg Dude]

12 hours ago, mainonmain said:

Hope the city hassles the hell out of them over everything.  Make em give up, sell their property and go build a mega church out in the county.

This.

[spartanburgh]

Mainonmain is a little sick.....

 

[Historyguy]

34 million dollars - that's a lot of shekels!  A lot.  

[westsider28]

First Baptist is seeking final approval of The Hangar addition at the DRB's May 3 meeting (5:30 pm in-person at City Hall).  They intend to have a mural on the Liberty Street side of the building (can see it slightly in first rendering below).  Meh, not thrilled with this, but there's nothing that stands out as a clear rejection reason (esp. after already getting prelim approval), so I suspect this gets approved.  Screenshots:

[Spartan]

What about the sky bridge over Converse St? Did that get cut?

[hub-city]

Don’t think so.  The gym needs to be the first thing built, so I think they’re trying to get approval for that first.  Then they will come back with the rest of the plan.

[NotNotSanti]

It got approval contingent on one factor being reexamined, something having to do with one of the walls, I think. It was super hard to hear!

[Spartan]

That's unfortunate.

[mainonmain]

What a terrible project and waste of downtown land.