The program included a 2,100-seat auditorium, a two-story multi-purpose foyer seating 400, nurseries, classrooms, and a TV studio. The 150-degree, fan-shaped design of Blackhawk Baptist Church’s auditorium creates a sense of closeness to the pulpit and to the 150-person choir section behind the pulpit. Because of the radial seating plan, each main floor and balcony seat is within 75 feet of the platform. Every worshipper can see the faces of others regardless of where they are sitting, thus drawing the large congregation closer together.
The strategic placement of the foyer provides an important space for interaction and functions as a true hub for the worship center and its future educational wings.
Year: 1989
Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana
Area: 62,000 square feet
Key Features
2,100-seat auditorium
two-story skylit foyer
TV studio
nurseries
classrooms
music rehearsal rooms
Awards
2005 Merit in Architecture Award, AIA Northeast Illinois
2004 Gold Medal Award, Association of Licensed Architects
2004 Outstanding Design Award, American School and University