The "Temple of Basketball" opened in Chicago

The ministers of the Chicago "Temple of Basketball" will not knock on your door to ask if you want to talk about Michael Jordan, and his parishioners are not going to church on Sunday. The fact is that this temple is a modern training center, which Nike has organically integrated into an abandoned cult building.

The Church of the Epiphany in Chicago, Illinois, was built in 1885. For more than 120 years, the church faithfully served its parishioners until it was closed as unnecessary. The church simply stopped going, and in 2011 it closed its doors to parishioners.

However, Nike, known worldwide not only for its sportswear, but also for non-standard projects in various fields, bought the temple building in 2018 and made it in demand again. For six months, work was in full swing under the church arches, and in August the temple reopened.

The building, renovated at the expense of the sports brand, has a basketball court, a gym, changing rooms with showers and lecture halls. The Church of the Epiphany has turned into a real "basketball temple", completely changing its purpose, but at the same time becoming necessary and visited.

Despite the radical redesign, the designers of the project paid tribute to the past building and church motifs are clearly traced in its interiors. Lockers in the locker rooms similar to confessional booths, colored glass stained glass windows with basketballs instead of apostles, the design of the playground itself — all hint that the sports complex was previously a cult structure.

Nike representatives reported that the basketball center is focused primarily on working with children from local school basketball teams. Lecture halls are designed to improve the skills of coaches who will be able to meet famous players and their mentors there.

The first sports star to visit the renovated temple was Scottie Pippen, who played for many years in the Chicago Bulls with the legendary Michael Jordan. The club's website states that every Saturday it is open to everyone who loves basketball. To play under the church arches, you just need to leave a request on the Nike website in advance — there are plenty of people who want to join the sport on the site of the Church of the Epiphany on the shores of Lake Michigan.