The small group that founded Blackhawk Church in 1965 gathered in a living room for the first couple of years before moving to a small building on Blackhawk Avenue. In 1986, the congregation relocated to Whitney Way, and 10 years later, hired NCI-Roberts Construction to build an addition that tripled its size. The addition was designed to accommodate a congregation of 600, but by 2007, Sunday attendance had grown to nearly 3,000.
While adding service times and satellite worship spaces helped in the interim, church leaders proposed – and the congregation supported – planning a move to a new location with room for continued growth.
A committee was tasked with site selection and first considered remodeling a big box retail location.
To allow for maximum growth and flexibility in design, the committee ultimately recommended the purchase of 40 acres of undeveloped land just north of Mineral Point Road in Middleton, Wisconsin. The location was convenient, and adjacent commercial and residential areas were projected to experience significant growth. The church developed 10 acres and sold what remained.
One of the church’s main concerns was parking. Their current location had less than 100 off-street parking stalls, inconveniencing both worship attendees and nearby homeowners.
A large parking structure with both covered and exposed stalls was incorporated into the design, and the church negotiated shared parking agreements with neighboring businesses.
The church also wanted its new location to incorporate multiple sanctuary spaces, to create more intimate settings and allow for a variety of worship styles.
Two auditoriums, a gym and a family room accommodate 60-300 people and host five styles of worship between 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. each Sunday.
What appears to be a “mega-church” from the outside – and based on attendance, is described as one – has an interior designed to create a true sense of community. Features include:
Since construction was completed in the fall of 2007, Blackhawk has experienced continued growth and begun offering satellite services at two additional locations in downtown Madison and Fitchburg, Wisconsin.
But its primary location was built to last. The building and site were constructed to accommodate expansion, including an exterior wall built to allow for easy removal when a second phase of construction begins.
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