Amazon's Audible turned a historic deserted church into an 'Innovation Cathedral' but preserved its stained glass, pipe organ, and bowling alley

Mary Meisenzahl

Nov 20, 2019, 23:24 IST

Amazon's Audible turned a historic deserted church into an 'Innovation Cathedral' but preserved its stained glass, pipe organ, and bowling alley

Audible took over a church to expand its Newark, New Jersey office space.

In May, Amazon's Audible subsidiary opened an office in a restored historic Newark, New Jersey church.
The company is calling the former Presbyterian church an "Innovation Cathedral," and says that it will draw visitors and talent to the city, as well as curious city residents.
The renovation kept the structure's stained glass, pipe organ, and bowling alley
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Amazon-owned audiobook and radio company Audible opened a new office in a historic Presbyterian church its hometown of Newark, New Jersey in May.

Audible is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, where it moved in 2007. It has since become the city's fastest-growing private employer, and its new "Innovation Cathedral" is located about a block away from the headquarters. In the renovation, it preserved historic elements while updating other features, and making additions for workspaces.

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The new workspace is part of Audible's commitment to Newark, according to founder and CEO Don Katz.

The cathedral is "proof that our efforts are yielding positive outcomes for business and invention culture, for the many talented people who want to work with us, and for the comeback of this great American city."

Audible also gives a $500 monthly stipend to employees living within Newark city limits, provides Amazon Fire tablets to Newark high school students, and offers those students paid internships. These policies are part of what Katz calls the "responsibility all corporations must take seriously" to invest in their communities.

Scroll to see how a 1933 church can be repurposed for a 2019 tech company.

Built in 1933, the building was once home to Newark's Second Presbyterian Church, which had as many as 10,000 members at its height in the middle of the 20th century.

The church shut down in 1995 due to declining numbers, and has sat empty for the last 25 years.

Audible has put the 80,000-square-foot building to use as officespace for 400 employees while preserving many of the historic elements...

...including ornate organ pipes...

...and giant stained glass windows.

The company even restored the old bowling alley that was once part of a community center connected to the church.

The bowling alley was fully refurbished and is now a place for employees to unwind.

Audible also added an auditorium for meetings.

Work cafes and lounges are available for employees to take a break.

Audible employees have the unique opportunity to work while surrounded by beautiful craftsmanship from nearly 100 years ago.

Some recognizable church elements remain and have a new life in the office, like pews.

Other areas have been totally transformed and added on to make the 20th-century church a comfortable 21st-century workspace.

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