The Former Church of the Holy Communion: A Specific Example of Change and Adaptation of a Single Building Over Time
The building located at the current address, 656 6th Avenue in New York City, housed many businesses in the former Church of the Holy Communion. While the purpose of the interior changed drastically, from church to nightclub, shopping center, and finally, workout gym, the exterior of the building and key features such as stained glass windows and landmark Gothic Revival architecture remained mostly unchanged. These unchanged features became a selling point, drawing customers in to enjoy the business within the unique space with its rich history. While there are not many original pictures of the church from the 1800s or early 1900s, the businesses that have occupied the building highlight the remaining church features.
History of the Building
In 1846, architect, Richard Upjohn, designed an Episcopal Church in the heart of New York City. This church was an asymmetrical Gothic Revival style church with brownstone blocks. The Church of the Holy Communion functioned as a religious building from 1848 to 1975, consisting of a sanctuary, bell tower, rectory (living quarters for the rector), and the nun's convent (Vanlandingham 55). In the 1850s, stained glass windows were shipped from Europe and installed in the church. By the 1900s, the church even boasted two Tiffany stained glass windows (ABC News Limelight). These windows represented the importance of the church. If the church invests in elegance and sophistication for their building, they are showing dedication to their faith. After the church closed, for a brief time, until 1982, the building served as a drug-rehabilitation center (ABC News Limelight). As a drug-rehabilitation center, the fact that the building looked like a church could have facilitated the healing of those who may have felt closer to God in a time of need. Convalescing inside of a building that looked like a church would have helped recovering drug addicts connect with their faith and aid in a speedy recovery. In 1983, this church was converted by Peter Gatien into the nightclub, Limelight (ABC News Limelight). The club combined the former sanctuary, bell tower, rectory, and nun's convent to create a dance floor, stage, balconies, and even sex rooms (Vanlandingham 61). The pews and other standard furniture for a church were removed to create an open space for many bodies in which to dance. While there were partial balconies in the main sanctuary of the original church, the balconies were expanded to make room for tables, VIP spaces, and the dominating dance floor. This nightclub played on the idea of sin within a holy place. The Gothic Revival architecture, with its tall ceilings and reinforced structure brought to mind the concept of discipline and created an atmosphere that highlighted the contrast between good and evil. Most of the interior of the church was stripped, to be replaced by a fun-house mirror, a bar, and cages for dancers that hung from the ceiling. While these items would not be found in a regular church, the success of the business played upon people's tendencies to pursue to forbidden. Limelight became an extremely successful club; it was the place to be. According to the president of the David Barton Gym, the business which currently occupies the building, Kevin Kavanaugh, everyone from Whitney Houston, 50 Cent, and Guns 'N Roses played at the nightclub (ABC News Limelight). The same dim lighting that was present in the church was used in the nightclub, but this time it was used to create an ambiance of sin and debauchery. After Limelight closed, the building was converted into the nightclub, Avalon for a short while, from 2003-2007 (ABC News Limelight).
In 2010, the church was re-purposed into a marketplace. This marketplace referenced the previous nightclub in its name, Limelight Marketplace, and housed many small boutiques and even places to eat (Hughes). The space was brightly lit, moving away from the dim lighting original to the church and the nightclub. Since shopping requires close inspection of products, the lighting offered customers the light needed to shop. The lighting as well as the white and blue color scheme gave the building a sterile, clean, new look that is often associated with classy shopping centers. The marketplace drew the attention of passersby through the oddity a shopping center inside of a church. Since the church does not look like the surrounding apartment buildings and modern-looking shops, the building seems out of place, beckoning pedestrians to take a peek inside. The balconies from the nightclub were renovated to create the individual shops. While the nightclub resembled the original church with the exposed brick walls and open layout, the marketplace hid many of the iconic features of the church (Bernard). While the lure of the building itself was successful in bringing in lots of foot traffic, the marketplace struggled to get enough business due to space constraints.
Due to the layout, a big, reoccurring concern was space. Even in 2011, when the complaints were made, there was no elevator, limiting the accessibility of the shops on the upper floors. Since the shops span three stories, many people are discouraged from trudging up the extra flights of stairs. Space is limited when it comes to vendors with only 200 square feet of ground floor space (Hughes). There were few enough vendors that the success of the business as a whole came into question.
The building was converted into a workout space, the David Barton Gym, in 2014. The entrance to the gym is through the former church's bell tower (ABC News Limelight). The original church's sanctuary and convent were turned into workout areas, while the rectory has been converted into locker rooms. Between the Gothic Revival style arches and pillars, there are stacks of weights and weight benches. Pushed up again the original stained glass windows are treadmills, bicycles, and other training equipment. The walls dividing the small shops of the Limelight Marketplace were torn down to create a more open look, allowing for better use of the space. According the Gym's president, Kevin Kavanaugh, in a Wall Street Journal Article, "the goal, he added, is to inspire members by the atmosphere and the energy when they walk in, 'so that they’re going to want to work out,'" (Heyman). The building references many of the nightclub features such as a DJ booth, original lights from the nightclub, and exposed brick walls. Kavanaugh even claims that the dim lighting was chosen, both to honor the history of the building as well as to make the customers look their best in the many mirrors (ABC News Limelight). When people look at themselves in the mirrors with the dim lighting adding relief to their muscles, they will see the instant results of their workout. This will encourage repeat business and long-term memberships. The DJ booth not only references the nightclub, it also gives members the audio encouragement they need to keep working out. By honoring the most successful business that were once housed in the building, the gym uses the history of the building as a nightclub to better sell their services. In this case, the remaining features of the church were not only used to advertise for the gym, but also to foster a good workout environment. Perhaps the same architectural reference to discipline that benefited the Limelight nightclub can benefit the David Barton Gym through encouraging strict workout schedules and vigorous training.
There is also a Chinese restaurant in the former church, Jue Lan Club Restaurant. This restaurant is all about honoring the history of the building. There is a room that was in the nightclub, the Shampoo Room, where clubbers could soap up before heading to the dance floor (ABC News Jue Lan). This room, which was not included in the Limelight marketplace, is now used as the dining room for this restaurant. There are many elements in this room that have remained the same, encouraging nostalgia for those who used to party in the nightclub. Regardless, with historic windows from church days, exposed walls, and a dark, mysterious atmosphere to the space, it is sure to bring in business.
Throughout the building's iterations, it maintained features such as the winding hallways, exposed brick walls, the high vault ceilings, and the original stained glass and Tiffany windows that were trademarks in the original Gothic Revival church. As mentioned by New York Magazine, “The building,” [Jack] Menashe says, “is a magnet,” (Bernard). Just the fact that the business is housed inside of a church draws people in, even if just to look around. Throughout the renovations, the architects decided to keep the maze-like hallways that were a trademark for this building. According to a New York Times article, "That is partly the point, said the project’s developer, Jack Menashe. 'We wanted that feeling of discovery, like you’re finding something new and exciting around every corner,'" (Hughes). Regardless the shops, restaurants, or gyms housed in the building, the fact that it was once a church draws business.
Map of Limelight Marketplace
References
Bernard, Sarah. "Limelight: The Mini-Mall." New York Magazine. New York Media LLC., 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://nymag.com/shopping/features/65635/>."David Barton Gym – Limelight | New York, NY." David Barton Gym. DavidBartonGym, n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.davidbartongym.com/dbgyms/limelight/>.
Gurfein, Laura. "Take Your Workout to Church at DavidBartonGym Limelight." New York Racked. Vox Media, Inc.., 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://ny.racked.com/2014/11/14/7568635/david-barton-gym-limelight>.
"Gym Opens in Limelight Landmark." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/limelight-gym-landmark-building-37368388>.
"Jue Lan Club Restaurant Opens Next In Limelight Landmark." ABC News. ABC News Network, 3 Mar. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/jue-lan-club-restaurant-opens-limelight-landmark-37369572>.
Heyman, Marshall. "David Barton Gym Finds Sanctuary at the Limelight." Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, Inc., 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/david-barton-gym-finds-sanctuary-at-the-limelight-1416189007>.
Hughes, C.J. "Church Turned Club Is Now a Market." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, 16 Mar. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/realestate/commercial/17limelight.html>.
Kurutz, Steven. "The Many Lives of Limelight." The New York Times. The New York Times, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/21/fashion/the-many-lives-of-limelight.html>.
Mangum, Aja. "Church Merch." New York Magazine. New York Media LLC., 25 Apr. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://nymag.com/shopping/features/65633/>.
Podles, Leon J. "Limelight." Leon J. Podles :: DIALOGUE. N.p., 14 Jan. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.podles.org/dialogue/tag/limelight>.
Settembre, Jeanette. "Jue Lan Club Opens in Former Limelight Space Serving Chinese." New York Daily News. NYDailyNews.com, 17 Dec. 2015. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/eats/jue-lan-club-opens-limelight-space-serving-chinese-article-1.2469204>.
Vanlandingham, Jared. "Reinscribing an Architecture of Silence." Thesis. The Savannah College of Art and Design, 2012. Issuu. May 2012. Web. 18 Apr. 2016. <https://issuu.com/empathies/docs/reinscribing_an_architecture_of_silence>.
