Exhibition on Transforming Church Spaces to Combat Housing Crisis in Frankfurt: Sacred Spaces – New Concepts

© Organizer

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© Organizer

The exhibition “Sacred Spaces – New Concepts” has been running in the Haus am Dom from this week until 17 May. In particular, it is about turning churches, parsonages and community centers into communal and even more charitable-pastoral purposes, for example for communal living – a subject that promises relief, especially in Frankfurt’s tight housing market. The exhibition was organized by the Frankfurt Network for Community Life with the Catholic City Church and the Rabanus Maurus Catholic Academy. Tómas Wagner, director of studies at the Catholic Academy, and Birgit Kasper, managing director of the Frankfurt network, explain in an interview what it is about – and why changes will only happen slowly.

The exhibition presents examples of good practice in which church buildings have been successfully converted into communal accommodation. It is obvious that there is only one project from Frankfurt – although there are many possibilities here. Are we that slow in the city?

Thomas Wagner: No, we are not slow, but good things take time, especially with churches. Eight years ago we launched the “Church Buildings Strategy”, or KIS for short, project at the diocesan level. This comprehensive building survey is very necessary because there is a large investment backlog of 500 million euros in around 1,500 parish buildings in the diocese of Limburg. And with the decline in membership and pastoral reorganization, we have too many buildings. And we have less money. Savings must be made. But conversion projects are already visible in the diocese outside KIS: In Kelkheim-Ruppertshain a church is currently being converted into a day care center and in Martinsthal in the Rheingau a church was converted into the apartments and the new community hall in collaboration with the town. .

What are the reactions to the show so far?

Thomas Wagner: Very good. Telephone and practical calls come from the entire Rhine-Main region, but also from the Westerwald and the neighboring dioceses of Mainz and Fulda. There is a growing awareness of the problem in the parishes and a desire to look for new and other solutions for their characteristics, also and especially for social reasons.

Birgit Kasper: Yes, there are several groups that have a vision of a self-organized, communal life, but are still looking for a suitable building. There would be many advantages for the parishes not to sell their properties to the highest bidder, but instead to rent or sell them to community actors who want to create real added value there. These are residential projects based on the needs of people at different stages of life. For singles, for the elderly, for households with children, some with additional living and care communities – with the idea that there would be private areas and common rooms that could also be used by church congregations after consultation . The churches must see that it is not only about money, but that it is wise to choose the best concept that benefits the community and the area. Social cohesion needs places and the right actors – otherwise it becomes a lost place.

The exhibition includes wonderful examples: living in former monasteries, alternative accommodation, inclusive, cross-environmental and cross-generational in old parish and community houses, concepts with common areas and individual rooms , commercial spaces, guest rooms and conferences. Is this even possible for a city like Frankfurt or is it more important for the country, where there is naturally more space?

Birgit Kasper: In urban areas, outside marketing is a shame due to the high real estate prices, but on the other hand there are also many people who would like to get involved in the church site, for example as a housing project. In rural areas it takes a little more time and communication to find actors who can bring such a housing project to life, but there the profit prospects are also lower. It is important that the city and the country have a sensible concept process for projects that aim for the common good so that they can stand on a sustainable basis.

Thomas Wagner: For Frankfurt-Sachsenhausen as well as Bad Marienberg in the Westerwald or Kriftel in the Rheingau, the pressure problem is the same – but depending on the context, different, well-designed conversion decisions are required consider, improve the site.

The “Living Leadership” of the “Project Group for the Building and Living of the Catholic Church in Frankfurt” already made several recommendations in the fall of 2020 and saw great possibilities, especially for church buildings in Frankfurt. Nothing has happened since then, at least on a large scale. Why do you think this is?

Birgit Kasper: These are not old warehouses on the outskirts of the city, but places that have a high intellectual value and create an identity for communities. That is why it does not surprise me that there are many conflicting interests and needs. It is also a challenge to design such a new change process well. Is it just about decline or also about development for the future? And there are also planning law issues or aspects such as the protection of monuments.

Thomas Wagner: Yes, there is a crisis in the diocese: reformers and conservatives alike need to find good solutions; The administration in Limburg as well as the local administrative boards must cooperate well with each other to give a new shape to the local church. And this is part of a great decline process!

The pressure in the rental market is huge – and it has increased even more due to the many wars in the world and people coming to us seeking protection. The diocese of Limburg has just announced that it will provide 50,000 euros to create short-term accommodation for refugees in church buildings through minor renovations. But the church is not so flexible, is it?

Thomas Wagner: A distinction must be made here between short-term and rapid disaster relief – such as rapid supply of materials – and long-term housing projects. A good example of long-term help is the Casa San Antonio in Rödelheim, a project of the city church in which people from Spain and Portugal can live until they have firmly established themselves in Frankfurt. The Casa is a success story, but it also shows that something like this takes time.

Birgit Kasper: I don’t want people to point to refugees; the reason is the failed housing policy in the last decades. The only sensible solution is non-profit housing, and not one that falls out of social connections after 15 years or that promises a high return, but housing that is only there to live in all the time . Only new construction by such actors will create long-term calm for the housing market and, with their ethical values, they are the right ally for church buildings.

Thomas Wagner: And ideally not organized above, but with the groups and initiatives affected by the site, I would be happy if this could only be implemented there the one percent of the buildings of that church. Of course, ten percent would be better. For our future viability as a church and for our credibility as a church, we need a major community living project in a church building in each of the new divisions of the diocese!