Gethsemane Lutheran Church/Dekko Place Apartments
Mission Statement: A Lutheran congregation in a rapidly developing part of the city revamps its campus to include affordable housing and an inviting corner chapel.
Community service has always been an important part of Gethsemane Lutheran Church's mission. Located just north of Seattle's downtown core, in a part of the city where glassy office and apartment towers are rapidly replacing low-scale residential and commercial structures, the church has longstanding programs providing free meals and accepting mail for people without a physical address. But for more than a decade, the congregation had been dreaming of doing more. And in 2007, after Gethsemane sold its air rights and a parking lot that was part of its campus, the parishioners got their chance, directing the proceeds of the deal toward construction of apartments for low-income individuals and families, the homeless, and the developmentally disabled.
With its partner, Compass Housing Alliance–a nonprofit developer of affordable housinge–Gethsemane came up with a plan to build the 50-unit Dekko Place Apartments on the site then occupied by its two-story parish building. The clients hired two local firms: SMR as architect of record and Olson Kundig as design architect for the church facilities that would be part of the $12 million project, including administrative offices, a new chapel, and the renovation of Gethsemane's Mid-Century Modern brick sanctuary.
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