April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
CHRIST SUN OF JUSTICE
Building for Troy parish gets historic designation
The 43-year-old building falls beyond the norms of buildings that qualify for the designation: Most are at least 50 years old or have had historically significant events held there.
Rather, it is the "C+CC's" architectural uniqueness and artistic minimalism - it's made of unfinished blocks - that made it eligible, said Tom Mattern, interim director. The building was conceived and designed as a multi-purpose facility, combining the sacred and the secular.
"It's a very important representation of late-[19]60s, postmodern architecture," Mr. Mattern said. "This building was built for acoustics, for the ability to accommodate up to 400 people."
The C+CC uses a plus sign in its name - instead of the word "and" or the ampersand symbol - to represent the Christian cross. The C+CC houses an art gallery and meeting rooms in addition to Christ Sun of Justice parish, whose worship space is often converted into space for concerts, art exhibits, dramatic presentations and a variety of other religious gatherings.
Staff members provide administrative support to Catholic, Protestant, Jewish and Muslim chaplaincy services at RPI.
"They said that the building should be spare because the life and celebration should come from the human activity in it," Mr. Mattern said of the designers. "It becomes whatever is happening in it."
The building has given RPI students - often, engineering majors inundated with science and math homework - a place to meditate and take a break.
"It brought humanity literally to the epicenter of an engineering school," Mr. Mattern said. "It's been doing its job very, very effectively."
The road to historic designation took about five years; The New York State Historic Preservation Office and Rep. Paul Tonko played a large role. For more information on the center, visit www.rpi.edu/web/C+CC">www.rpi.edu/web/C+CC.[[In-content Ad]]
MORE NEWS STORIES
VIDEOS
SOCIAL MEDIA
OSV NEWS
- Church unity, mission must be at heart of all Catholic groups, pope says
- Maryland Catholic bishops call for ‘prophetic voice’ in pastoral letter on AI
- Florida bishop appeals for end to death penalty, calls it ‘a failure of mercy’
- National pilgrimage walks with Christ amid protests and finds inspiration along the way
- Gifts of conversion, mission, mercy shine in Christ’s church, pope says
- Inspired by millennial soon-to-be-saint, Irish teens create animated Lego-Carlo Acutis film
- Anxiety, uncertainty follow Trump travel ban
- Supreme Court rules in favor of Wisconsin Catholic agency over religious exemption
- Analysts: Trump’s action on Harvard, Columbia could have implications for religious groups
- Commission tells pope universal safeguarding guidelines almost ready
Comments:
You must login to comment.