Starting a New Chapter

Homes with former lives—from churches to breweries—creatively and sustainably blend history and style

As time moves on, across the centuries, so lifestyles change and needs evolve. It follows suit, then, that the purposes of buildings should also transform. Historic industrial, civic and cultural properties fall out of use for myriad reasons, but converting them into homes both celebrates architectural heritage and offers a sustainable way of satisfying demand for residences, while inviting creative spatial reimaginations. The results can be surprising and delightful: from a luxurious lounge in a historic chapel to a breakfast bar in a former brewery.

In Montreal, a church designed by architect Charles Bernier in 1910 is now home to truly unique apartments. Built as the Saint-Nicolas Syrian Greek Orthodox Church, the building became a cultural center for the city’s Belgian community after the church congregation moved away. At the start of the 21st century it was then artfully turned into condominiums. Contemporary insertions organize residential space around the historic architecture, while sensitively honoring the elegant heritage. Sleek living areas sit beneath soaring vaults and a tall dome painted with amazing frescos of angels.

Reimagining former churches as homes has become more common as congregations evolve or relocate to new buildings. The Saint Joseph Church, a monumental structure in the Dutch city of Alkmaar, was renovated in 2022 to provide nine apartments. Built in 1909, the church was designed by architect Albert Margry in a neo-Gothic style with graceful spires, pointed arches and intricate stone decoration. Over 100 years later, a team of local architects alongside the city’s public heritage body realized the building’s reinvention, carefully preserving the historic structure. Inside, stained-glass windows and original brick vaults and buttresses confer a sense of historic grandeur on the apartments, which have nonetheless been fitted out to a high-level contemporary standard.

Meanwhile in Tarpon Springs, a city on central Florida’s Gulf Coast, a Baptist church from 1926 now contains two luxurious homes. The building with its Mission-style architecture incorporates Spanish influences, complete with an elegant bell tower. It was abandoned in the 1990s following storm damage, before being transformed in 2022.

While a church may seem a curious place to call a home, there are perhaps stranger transformations. In Yeomanstown, a rural part of Ireland one hour outside of Dublin, a historically significant corn mill in an attractive 19th-century structure was restored and converted into an unusual yet enchanting residence. Although the brick building is late Georgian, dating to 1810, it is thought farmers had used the site for corn milling since the 14th century. Ceasing operations in the early 20th century, the mill was carefully turned into a home in the 1980s.

While the exterior is picturesque—set among three acres of riverside gardens, featuring a cut-stone aqueduct bridge and an original, working mill wheel—the interior blends industrial charm and contemporary living. Five bedrooms, multilevel living spaces, home offices and well-equipped kitchen and bathrooms are interspersed with original, well-preserved corn milling wheels, millstones and other traces of agricultural heritage. The home—characterized by timber ceilings, floors, beams and staircases—retains a rustic atmosphere while offering generous amounts of space.

In Sonoma, California, industrial architecture also blends with modern-day living in a structure with a diverse back story. Built in 1906, the property was once an ice storage facility, before becoming a cooperage (where barrels and casks are made), then brewery, artist studio, World War II armory and now a four-bedroom luxurious retreat. Meanwhile, in the Philadelphia Main Line region, on the historic Ardrossan estate, a century-old 40-horse barn is now a spacious, characterful six-bedroom property.

Owning a home with an entirely different former life—or multiple lives—brings an element of intrigue to the everyday, sparking the imagination while offering the benefits of unique architectural heritage. These buildings are ready for their next chapters.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Ideally located in Old Montreal, this historic turn-of-the-20th-century building previously used to lodge a church but was then converted into grandiose residences. The entire property was gut renovated to perfection with high-end finishes, extraordinary volumes, spectacular details and woodwork, domed ceilings, fireplaces, two parking spots and a large rooftop terrace with panoramic views. This fantastic, seven-bedroom property for daily, monthly, and yearly rentals is currently leased.

$7,037,037

Property ID: 6SZ4DV
sothebysrealty.com
Sotheby’s International Realty Quebec
Andrew Hops +1 514 824 3236

Villanova, Pennsylvania, U.S.

This 17-acre property, just 30 minutes from Philadelphia, was once a prized piece of Ardrossan, the most extraordinary estate on Philadelphia’s esteemed Main Line. Now known as Albermarle, this collection of English-style stone buildings was masterfully restored to comprise a main residence (constructed in the 1920s to serve as a 40-horse barn), charming guest houses, entertainment barn, hi-tech business headquarters in a clock tower, alongside a pool and tennis court.

$13,450,000

Property ID: CJ8ZBJ
sothebysrealty.com
Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty
Lisa Yakulis +1 610 517 8445

Alkmaar, North Holland, the Netherlands