Graveyard and steel mill, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1935. Photograph by Walker Evans on assignment from the Farm Services Administration.

As churches lose membership and become less central to immigrant communities, the need to reuse sanctuaries has become a new challenge to avoid demolition. The small Zion First Hungarian Lutheran Church was saved from complete demolition by an immigrant developer from Bulgaria who was trying to add affordable housing in Bethlehem.

Our design preserved the front portion of the church, incorporating reflective glass in the facade to create a mirror-image of the church and the surrounding sky. The 24 new apartments feature large windows with sweeping views of the Bethlehem SteelStacks, St. Michael’s Cemetery, and the rolling hills of Southside Bethlehem.