The Euclid Avenue Church of God

If you came here through my website then you know that I am seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Technology at Capital University.  I’ve been thinking a lot about what I want to do with my degree in Music Technology.  I have done live sound, recording, mixing, mastering, but I love all of the above.  I think I would like to get a steady job at a recording studio either tracking or mixing, (or both). 

            I would like to get an internship with a large recording studio.  I would of course, start out as the small guy, and gradually work my way up with my hard work ethics and good ears.  I don’t think I would like to own my own studio quite yet, but instead work under someone until I know more about business.  I also would like to supplement my income by composing choral music.  I’ve already had several ideas written down for some pieces. 

            For my dream job, possibly when I retire, I would like to purchase an old church that used to belong to a congregation that has since been dissolved, (much like the Clifftown Theatre & Studios, owned by the University Of Essex, located in Essex, England).  I would like to transform the old sanctuary into a concert hall, holding weekly concerts for the community, (maybe even broadcast those concerts on radio or television).  During the week, the concert hall can be rented out to whoever would want to use it: recital, town-hall meeting, touring groups, and theater groups. 

            If the church is furnished with a fellowship hall with an adjoining kitchen, I would like to convert that into a large recording space, and hold recording sessions for whoever would want to record a song or an album.  The kitchen would be converted into a control room, and would be sealed and soundproofed.  The fellowship hall would have the typical “studio” goods such as headphones, XLR jacks, microphones, et cetera.    The “kitchen” would be an all-analog studio, utilizing vintage analog tape gear and outboard reverb units.  I think it would be different and special to construct plate reverb chambers, as well as room reverb chambers.

            Many churches have classrooms somewhere in their building.  These classrooms can serve a whole lot for a concert hall/recording studio campus.  Smaller studios can be installed.  They can be the natural room reverb chambers that I mentioned earlier.  Dressing rooms and rehearsal are probably a must for any concert hall.  The church offices will by converted into my office, and the office of my secretary, if I choose to have one. 

            Finally, if the church has a functional basement, I would like to convert that into either a tape storage area, or a digital recording space.  For example, the basement at my church used to be the fellowship hall, before the current one was added.  This basement has its own kitchen area that would be perfect for a control room, while the main area would be great for the main recording space.  There are even two small rooms that used to be restrooms that could be used for isolation booths. 

           I was searching the internet, and after reading a Huffington Post blog about the old Euclid Avenue Church of God in Cleveland, Ohio, I decided to explain my dream.  The church was abandoned by the congregation a number of years ago, and is sitting empty.  The Cleveland Clinic, which holds a strong grasp of a lot of the land in the area, has offered to buy the place, and tear it down.  A lot of members of the community don't agree with this.  This building is a prime example of what I would like to do when I retire. 

            The church idea came to me while installing a new sound system at my church this past year.  I wondered what it would be like to own such a large space and wondered about the benefits the community would have. As I worked out the benefits, I figured that it would be a fantastic idea, as I would be giving to the community something that was lost when the original congregation was dissolved.  I love doing what I do.  I never want to stop.  I want to record and engineer as long as I’m physically capable of doing so.