A New Trend For Aging Stadiums -- Mega Churches

Aging stadiums in Houston and Los Angeles have been reborn as megachurches. Is this the next commercial real estate boom?

1 minute read

July 6, 2004, 5:00 AM PDT

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"After a 14-month, $75-million renovation, the Compaq Center will reopen as Lakewood Church, the nation's largest house of worship... Requiring arena-sized seating and vast parking lots, these churches are expensive to build and demand large plots of land that are difficult to come by in urban areas. That has made rejected sports arenas, faced with demolition, fertile ground for religious conversion... As the new generation of sports facilities has sprung up, the megachurch defined as any with more than 2,000 worshippers has flourished."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: Players Give Way to Prayers

Monday, July 5, 2004 in The Los Angeles Times

Community / Economic Development United States

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Start Learning

Advertise with us

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.