Abstract
The purpose of this research is to investigate the redevelopment of two Catholic churches into affordable housing as a method of combating gentrification. Given that many closed churches in Boston are redeveloped into luxury housing, this research highlights rare cases of affordable housing church redevelopment projects. Through conducting seven semi structured interviews with key actors and stakeholders in the ongoing redevelopment of Blessed Sacrament Church in Jamaica Plain and St. Katharine Drexel Parish in Roxbury, I examine the extent to which sacred spaces are considered a tool for communities fighting for ‘the right to stay put.’ These interviews revealed that despite secularization, city residents continue to interpret churches as public spaces over which they exercise ownership. While both projects are driven by actors with differing motivations, each case serves to preserve minority communities most vulnerable to advancing gentrification.
In the case of Blessed Sacrament Church, a diverse coalition of concerned city residents unified under the goal of creating affordable housing while preserving the church, a historical landmark in the community. On the other hand, the partnership between church leadership and the Planning Office of Urban Affairs, the affordable housing developer of the Archdioceses of Boston, to redevelop St. Katherine Drexel’s Parish Center was a means of ensuring the church’s own longevity while putting Black Catholic values into practice. Church redevelopment projects meant to benefit low-income and minority communities differ significantly on a case-by-case basis and little has been written to systematically explore how these redevelopments occur. This research aims to examine how church closures and transformations are dictated by their neighborhood context during gentrification.