Theater Elckerlyc, the popular boulevard theater in Antwerp, has purchased the adjacent neo-Gothic Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Gratiekerkgebouw - also known as the former college church of OLVC. The building is located on the Frankrijklei in Antwerp and was owned by the association Patrimonium Verenigde Colleges s.j. The theater will use the church building to expand its operations and is launching a repurposing study. This study should investigate which repurposing is most suitable, respecting the existing heritage values, the capacity of the site and the relationship with adjacent buildings and residents. Theater Elckerlyc will open a pop-up theater foyer in the church building in December. This is the first phase of the theater's expansion, without major construction work.
Repurposing Study
The church building had been empty for years and was deconsecrated as a church for religious services in 2007. In recent years, the board of the education association IgnAs, to which the adjacent Onze-Lieve-Vrouwecollege belongs, intensively investigated whether a repurposing of the church building for educational purposes was possible, to help meet the space needs of the college. Such a repurposing, without very extensive construction work and with the financial consequences involved, has proved infeasible for IgnAs. And to prevent the church from suffering further prolonged vacancy, IgnAs ultimately decided to proceed with a sale. A decision that Theater Elckerlyc has gratefully taken advantage of.
Heritage and Vision
The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Gratiekerk is a protected monument and therefore must be handled with care. Theater Elckerlyc has launched a repurposing study, which will be carried out by Erfgoed en Visie, an architecture and advisory firm for heritage projects under the direction of Edith Vermeiren. This study will determine which repurposing is most suitable. The visiting public of the theater and the residents will be actively involved in this study as much as possible.
When the pop-up theater foyer opens in December, the church building will be accessible again. From then on, a large suggestion box will be prominently placed to collect all suggestions. "It is certain that everyone will benefit from the repurposing: the residents, Antwerp residents in general, and the many thousands of tourists who visit Antwerp annually," says Dirk Van Vooren, artistic management and co-operator of Theater Elckerlyc.
Theater in a Unique and Historic Setting
Theater Elckerlyc aims to open a pop-up theater foyer in the church building in December. This is the first phase of the theater's expansion, without requiring major construction work. Dirk Van Vooren continues: "We have reached our limit with the theater for some time in terms of reception areas, and the catering facilities in the theater are also rather limited. There is still no possibility in the theater to sit down and enjoy a drink before or after the performance. I want to change this urgently, together with commercial manager Nico Warrinnier."
"We want to offer our theater visitors more than just a pleasant performance, we want to offer them an experience, with the actors at the center. Being able to meet them after the performance, in a historic setting, with quality catering, will soon be within our reach," Dirk Van Vooren continues.
"During this transition period, we want to open the doors of the church building not only wide to our theater visitors, but also to the residents and all the curious. To introduce them to the work of Theater Elckerlyc, and to involve them in the final repurposing of the church building," concludes Dirk Van Vooren. Theater Elckerlyc has more extensive plans for the church building than just a pop-up theater foyer. These plans will be incorporated into a masterplan, which will be completed by the end of 2023.
Hopeful Future
"We are very pleased with the sale of the church building to our direct neighbors. They are not strangers to us, we signed a 33-year lease agreement with them in 2021 for the adjacent theater building. It was therefore a logical step to sell them the church building, after we decided on this for financial and structural reasons following in-depth investigation. The necessary renovation and refurbishment work was impossible for our college to bear - given the many other heritage challenges we face," says Peter Michielsens, chairman of the association IgnAs (school board of the college).
"We find it a good solution that this historic and protected building will be renovated in due course and given a new sociocultural purpose. We know from many conversations that this will be done with care and respect for all parties involved and for the history of the building, and that the building will retain something of its character. This has given us the necessary confidence," Peter Michielsens continues. "Our relationship with our neighbors has always been excellent, and we wish them every success with all their plans, the repurposing and the future renovation."