This one-room church was originally built in 1898 in the middle of a large open field in northern Wisconsin. In 1996 the deteriorating structure was acquired by Kurt Melander, AIA to reconfigure as a year-round architecture and art studio. To preserve the power of the grand interior volume, Kurt suspended the new bedroom and bathroom above the kitchen using a separate structural system from that of the original church. A new central fireplace was introduced to provide a strong and simple interior focal element, which serves as a domestic gathering place. The fireplace also reflects the form of the exterior bell tower and alludes to the building’s former use.
The Church has been featured in the Travel Channel’s series Amazing Vacation Homes, and is now the home of a prominent fiction writer.
