Located in the trendy Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago's north side for 10 years, the leaders of Park stated a bold proclamation: to move their church into its own building. This rehabbed building also happened to be in a neighborhood that once held Cabrini-Green, a public housing development known for neglect and high crime rates.
To keep pace with the radical move to Cabrini-Green, Park Community Church wanted a new identity—to reflect and support the new direction and vision. A church planted in such an urban setting needed a strong, gritty, sleeves-rolled-up aesthetic, while still remaining warm and enveloping. The oft-used symbol of a hand took on many meanings as the mark of a church that sought to reach out to its surrounding city.