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An ingenious transformation has taken place on the corner of Maryland Avenue and Prince George Street in Annapolis – the Gothic Revival-style First Church of Christ Scientist has been converted into the Parish House Condominiums.
Built in the late 1800s for $20,000 and designed by the Baltimore firm of Owen and Beller, the church was originally known as the Maryland Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church. Through the years, the church not only has been a house of worship and Sunday school, but also served as a Christian recreation center for midshipmen and servicemen.
Today, the church has been converted into three luxury lofts through the intervention of John Pilli, Jr., 53, builder and renovator. “I was looking for a unique opportunity,” says Pilli, who owns Pilli Development Company and has been in the building business in Anne Arundel County since 1978.
Plenty of Praise
Finding this rare opportunity right in his backyard, only blocks from the Naval Academy, the State House and City Dock, was one that happened by chance when the owner of the church, USinternetworking Inc., decided to sell it. Even though the church was zoned commercial, there was an allowance in the code for residences above the first floor. So Pilli bought the church and thought, why not go back to the old days when the shopkeeper lives above the shop. Not a bad idea considering many towns throughout the metropolitan area are doing the same thing, only with new construction.
Leaving the first floor as commercial office space, the second or sanctuary level of the Parish House presented challenges with 28-foot high ceilings and majestic stained glass windows on three sides that traveled almost full height. It was logical to Pilli to divide the spaces in three to keep a trio of towering windows in each home and then go up. “Let’s think of it from residences’ perspectives,” the builder says. People are going back to urban settings with less house and yard to care for, adds Pilli. And this “adaptive reuse” or recycling of outdated properties is “smart development,” he says. “I’m glad people are showing interest in it.”
“It was easier than expected,” says Pilli. The Historic Preservation Commission was supportive, while this builder’s “good neighbor” policy to watch site restrictions made the process take a little longer. Plus, the fire escape in the back and the installation of the heating and cooling systems presented additional challenges.
This “great landmark property” drew plenty of attention and Pilli’s renovation has drawn plenty of praise, especially from owners Tim and Laura Benningfield, Craig and Dawn Gontkovic, and others involved from the beginning. Barbara Jackson, realtor with Annapolis Realty Inc., has worked with Pilli every step of the way from the removal of the pews to the purchases of the shells to the finishing touches designed by the owners. Now she is the sales agent for the Gontkovics’ unit, which recently went under contract with a list price of $1.3 million.
The way this builder works with people sells the places, says Jackson. Pilli offered the shells for sale and then helped the purchasers design each loft for the way they live, such as incorporating contemporary elements or a Tuscany Villa-style decor or a traditional colonial kitchen.
The retention of existing structural elements, such as wide wood railings leading up dogleg staircases, original wood flooring on the main floor, walk-in coat closets on the entry levels and brick hiding behind layers of plaster, were taken into consideration. The Benningfields even incorporated an original church chandelier above their entry stairway. “We couldn’t make it look new, but we could make it look cared for,” Pilli says.
Focal Points
All of the decisions that had to be made during the 18-month renovation, including where to put the kitchen and how to add privacy but keep the openness of the three-story windows, contribute to how the Benningfields feel about it today. Finding an essentially brand-new home in old town Annapolis was something that they couldn’t pass up, says Tim Benningfield.
Key design elements in their loft include the exposed brick walls and the pointed arches. The first archway is open to the staircase in the living room with the kitchen featuring a second arched accent. This makes all the difference in the wide-open living and dining areas. “This little detail took a lot of work,” Tim Benningfield adds, especially when they decided to incorporate the pointed niches into the owners’ bath on the next level.
Staying Neutral
“I thought they would look similar, but they are all so different,” adds Laura Benningfield about the trio of lofts. Working with Carole Tayman, design consultant and owner of caroletaymanconsulting in Severna Park, the Benningfields began the process by deciding which brick walls to save, then the color palette to incorporate, and finally the design. The biggest challenge was where to place the kitchen cabinets in the traditional triangular workspace and still get an island and a breakfast bar, says Tayman.
Because the Benningfields both like to cook, the kitchen, which includes cherry cabinets in a wheat finish from Kitchen Encounters in Annapolis, was a focus of the design. Plus, “we talked a long time about wall color,” adds Tayman, who knew it needed to be really natural. A favorite shade of theirs is taupe with the owners selecting Benjamin Moore’s America’s Colors throughout the four-level dwelling, which includes an elevator.
A Weekend Retreat
Other owners had different ideas for their getaway spaces, like the residents across the hall. Craig Gontkovic, 34, and Dawn Gontkovic, 32, knew what they wanted from their coastal retreat that beckoned them away from Manhattan on weekends to gather with family and friends. A Tuscany villa theme with an elegant, casual style was what they saw for their loft, where the kitchen overlooking the stately windows became the focal point of the first floor. “We wanted to maintain the authenticity of the church,” adds Dawn Gontkovic.
The stained glass centerpiece remains open to all levels to admire, as well as to let in natural lighting and to enforce the feel of living in a loft on every floor, like a New York residence. In fact, the inspiration for one finishing touch came from a Prada store in New York City where the walls of the dressing room become opaque for privacy when stepping inside and then clear when leaving. Because of the expense of it, the owners only used one six-foot panel of the special glass in the owners’ bath.
In the adjoining bedroom, the Gontkovics created black-out blinds dyed to match the wall colors, which include Benjamin Moore’s Historical Colors, plus an Old World wall treatment on the top floor accenting the triple stained glass windows and exposed brick.
A Happy Hour
Don’t forget the martini bar on the fourth floor reached via a spiral staircase. Originally thinking it would make an ideal darkroom for Dawn Gontkovic, who is a professional photographer, the owners decided on the gathering hole instead where guests can view the sunset and the capitol building while sipping refreshments or reading. Another ladder leads to storage or a place with finishing potential. The Gontkovics liked the family-friendly fabrics and colors of the loft so much that they used them again in their present renovation effort in New Jersey.
Preserving Annapolis
It is easy to understand why this builder and renovator, who graduated from the Naval Academy in Annapolis in 1973 and who served in the reserves for 24 years, has chosen this area to work and live. This project and the conversion of the Tuscan-Revival Waterwitch Hood and Ladder Fire Station No. 1 on East Street into condominiums won Pilli Annual Preservation Awards from the Historic Annapolis Foundation.
