Adaptive reuse of cathedral alongside the center for reconciliation of Rhode Island

St. John’s cathedral in Providence Rhode Island, opened in 1811 and used to be the seat of the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island of the episcopal church until 2012 when it closed due to decay in the building and a decline in membership. Currently the cathedral is being repaired to hold additional functions, as well as an exhibition focusing on the Trans-Atlantic slave trade in the north created and curated by the Rhode Island Center for Reconciliation (founded by the Episcopal Diocese of Rhode Island), that will have a place in the under croft. 

An underlying aspect and challenge of this project is how to guide people towards confronting a difficult topic and how to create a space that will encourage people to talk about it. My initial design investigations were driven by the topic of the sublime, in its meaning as the allusion of transcendence, an awareness of grandeur. This sublime feeling lives in the threshold between fear and awe, and the ability to overcome it.

Shedding light in the history of slavery helps start a productive conversation about a more accepting future. Through my intervention I attempt to install a sense of sublime and the journey from fear to awe. In the upper level the program was strategically chosen to reflect an aspect of African American culture that will allow for conversations and community building to happen organically. 

A hair salon is proposed, it will cater to all types of hair and focus on hair care, this area is guided by an exhibit consisting of a series of portraits curated as a journey through black hair history meant to empower and inspire acceptance and self-love.