Old church building on Chicago's Northwest Side to be transformed into pickleball club
An old and deconsecrated church building in Chicago's Jefferson Park neighborhood is undergoing a transformation.
At the former , at 5430 W. Foster Ave., rows of pews will soon be replaced with pickleball courts.
The St. Cornelius Parish was established in 1925. The parish grew over the next few decades, and the current church building — which accommodated 750 worshipers — was built in 1964 and dedicated in 1965.
By the 1980s, there were 2,500 member families in the parish. But in 2020, St. Cornelius Parish was merged with St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish — and St. Cornelius Church closed.
"It was definitely a neighborhood church, so a lot of people feel very strongly about this place," said Chris Petrick.
The last time mass was held at St. Cornelius was in March 2020, around the beginning of the COVID-10 pandemic.
Now, it will welcome a different kind of service — which will require a racket.
Petrick bought the old Catholic church building from the Archdiocese of Chicago.
"It actually had to go to Rome for approval," he said.
While Petrick was raised Presbyterian, he is more of a devout pickleballer these days.
"A lot of people can play it," he said. "It's still a fun game to play with a lot of different levels."
Petrick was getting tired of waiting for court time, so he went looking to build his own court. The 40-foot ceilings of a church sanctuary answered his prayers.
"We'll have one [court] go horizontally nearing the altar, and then the other goes more vertically back towards the baptismal," said Petrick.
The creative project attracted architect Ed Torrez of Arda Design.
"This one surprises people. I've told other clients," Torrez said. "I've told colleagues that we're repurposing a church into a pickleball court."
The stained glass at the church building will stay in place, along with the midcentury modern chandeliers.
The Church Club, as it will be called will have pickleball courts, locker rooms, rooms for darts and billiards, and even a commercial kitchen.
"We have a lot of people looking forward to this," said Petrick.
Petrick wants to cap membership to about 50 people, but he said there is room for community events too.
"That's something we definitely have in the plans," he said.
It is a new purpose for an old church building that Petrick believes has not lost its soul.
"It still maintains that, and it's got a wonderful feel and a great vibe," Petrick said.
