Affordable housing found a new home within the walls of the historic Calvary Lutheran Church through careful adaptive reuse. Design Tree played a key role in transforming this historic site into Belfry Apartments, a center for community service and deeply affordable rental units near George Floyd Square in Minneapolis.
As part of the adaptive reuse, the church’s education wing was converted into 21 apartments, and the sanctuary was preserved as a shared community space with a food shelf on the lower level. A new 20-unit, three-story building was constructed adjacent to the church. Together, the two buildings encompass 61,000 square feet and offer 41 units ranging from studios to four bedrooms.
Design Tree Engineering provided comprehensive Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection services for both the historic renovation and the new construction. Nearly all MEP systems in the original church were removed, allowing for complete redesigns that brought the building up to modern standards of efficiency, safety, and code compliance.
Mechanical and plumbing design included new HVAC systems with precise load calculations, duct layouts, ventilation strategies, and natural gas piping, while plumbing systems addressed domestic water, sanitary sewer, and drainage needs.
Electrical design included power distribution, emergency generation, interior and site lighting, and fire alarm systems, along with technology infrastructure for voice/data, TV, and security. Photometric analysis ensured lighting met IES standards, and performance-based fire suppression design integrated seamlessly with both historic and new building systems.
The project’s success lay in the coordination of all MEP disciplines, allowing for sensitive integration into the historic structure while delivering modern comfort, safety, and efficiency. This approach preserved the church’s historic character, met Enterprise Green Communities Criteria and B3/SB2030 standards, and supported the creation of dignified, high-quality housing.
This project was recognized as a 2023 Top Project by Finance and Commerce and recipient of an AIA Minneapolis Merit Award and 2025 Minneapolis Preservation Award.
Photography Credit: Brandon Stengel