AWARD FOR RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE: RENOVATION
San Francisco Zen Center: Beginner’ s Mind Temple
Studio Bondy Architecture || San Francisco, CA
Originally designed in 1922 by Julia Morgan as a residence for young professional Jewish women, the building became the home of San Francisco Zen Center in 1969. Since then, it has served as a place for reflection and connection for a diverse population and residential living for Zen practitioners.
Mu is a core Zen Buddhist concept emphasizing emptiness as positive space filled with potential. The original building featured three large open rooms serving the daily needs of the residents. These“ empty” spaces were adapted by the Zen Center to serve as a dining room, a Zendo( meditation hall), and a Buddha Hall where services and lectures are conducted. This project created a fourth“ empty” space to serve as a Welcome Center with reception, community gathering room, and a Buddhist bookstore. This 1,350-square-foot space was found by removing an array of small rooms and exposing the original reinforced concrete column grid.
The building now has an elevator providing access to all four floors. Additionally, the renovation modernized the original communal bathrooms into individual-use facilities and added new all-gender public restrooms. This thoughtful transformation ensures San Francisco Zen Center can continue its mission for generations to come.
JURY COMMENTS: This is a renovation that listened to and realized the client’ s dreams. The architects respected the historic character of Julia Morgan’ s classical building and, without changing the building footprint, found space for accessory upgrades and an expanded program, including the new Welcome Center. Overall, there is a quiet clarity to the renovated space, especially the Zendo meditation hall, which is entirely befitting of the client’ s spiritual mission.
AWARD FOR RELIGIOUS ARCHITECTURE: RENOVATION
Scotland AME Zion Church
Antunovich Associates || Potomac, MD
Scotland AME Zion Church in Montgomery County, Maryland, has stood as a beacon of faith and resilience for over a century. Built in 1924 by formerly enslaved residents of the Scotland Community, the modest single-room wood-frame structure became a vital center for worship and cultural life. Decades later, a relocated road and resulting flooding threatened its survival. Despite such challenges, the church endured and thrived, expanding in 1968 at the cost of its original façade. The church was eventually recognized as a historic resource in 2002.
In 2019, severe flooding compromised the foundation, prompting a bold vision for renewal. Partnering with government, philanthropic, and religious organizations, the congregation launched the Second Century Project. The concept—“ the Arc & the Jewel”— combines urgent repair and historic rehabilitation of the pristine white church in the woods with a sensitive wraparound modern expansion using natural and modern materials to honor heritage while embracing the future.
Housing a new sanctuary, a multipurpose space, a dining lobby, a meeting space, and a coffee bar, this transformation preserves sacred history, strengthens community ties, and ensures Scotland AME Zion Church remains a spiritual home for generations to come.
JURY COMMENTS: The creation of a database of these projects to raise public awareness and appreciation is a great asset. This project has done a great job of bringing awareness to buildings that can be seen as a collection.
Cesar Rubio
Desmond Monet Grimball
32 SACRED PLACES • SUMMER 2026