Anne Troutman and Aleks Istanbullu
Creating a Sanctuary
Take a look at how architects Istanbullu and Troutman have converted a church into their home and office, complete with stained-glass windows
Architects Aleks Istanbullu and Anne Troutman purchased the former church in 2004 and dove into renovating it into a house for themselves. "It was a very organic process," says Troutman. "We almost designed it as it was being built." Which is not, the married couple are quick to add, what they would advise any client to do. Here's how it turned out.
The church was built in 1875 by the United Methodist Congregation of Ocean Park in South Santa Monica, Calif. Decommissioned in 1923, it was bought by a Masonic organization that moved the church to its current location. Threatened with demolition in 1971, the building found its savior in a local painter who purchased it that year and lived in it -- sleeping on the altar -- for the rest of her life.