Diocese Takes Next Steps in Discernment of Diocesan House's Future
Not even a pandemic has been able to slow the growth and development happening in downtown Raleigh. For some time, the city has been undergoing a renaissance of sorts, with the popularity of and demand for urban, walkable neighborhoods rising at a rate that far outpaces the creation of those spaces. Even so, many who return to the downtown area for the first time since the pandemic began are shocked at the additions to the skyline and even more new buildings under construction.
At the heart of it all is Diocesan House. Located at 200 West Morgan Street, diocesan offices have occupied the top floor of the diocesan-owned building. In May 2019, the longtime tenants that occupied the first two floors of Diocesan House vacated their space, leaving the Diocese of North Carolina with a wide-open canvas on which to paint new possibilities.
The Diocesan Building Task Force, established shortly thereafter for the very purpose of imagining those possibilities, began working through different possibilities for the property, ranging from selling it, to renovating the building, to redeveloping the site. No matter the idea, the task force considered how each possibility might further the mission priorities set forth for the diocese as a whole.
Having done a great deal of preliminary work thinking through various options, the task force is ready to take the next step. It has issued a Request for Proposal to begin the search for a consultant with whom to work on the next phase of discernment, gathering input from across the Diocese and neighbors in Raleigh, and helping to evaluate every option for what might be done with the property.
The growth and possibilities may be happening in downtown Raleigh, but what happens with Diocesan House in the coming years will extend far beyond city limits.
