Stone Temple is located in North Lawndale is part of a larger vision to activate Stone Temple Baptist Church’s community garden and outdoor areas with community programs such as musical performances, cookouts, outdoor meetings, poetry sessions, among many others. This first phase of Stone Temple includes a small wooden stage with an open canopy structure, and flexible modules of wooden seating that can be arranged in different configurations.
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We wanted to create a space for artists and community members to voice their opinions, share their stories, and learn about the community’s heritage and culture.
In our research phase, we came across various reports, articles, and photographs that explained the historical significance of Stone Temple Church. Martin Luther King Jr. used the church and the North Lawndale neighborhood as his base during the 1960s northern civil rights movement. We learned about his work in creating a platform for people to come together and have a voice. Additionally, unity and peace are two important values that the church has promoted since its inception in 1926.
Based on our research, we realized that this project is an opportunity for us to create a beautiful, functional, and meaningful space that is designed specifically for the North Lawndale community. We are proposing a masterplan for the garden that would be built in phases. The plan is focused on creating spaces for community programs to occur such as musical performances, cookouts, outdoor meetings, poetry sessions, etc. We also wanted to create a space for artists and community members to voice their opinions, share their stories, and learn about the community’s heritage and culture. We also wanted this space to promote unity and peace by bringing many groups together, just like how the church has historically brought people together in times of discrimination and hardship.