The church of St. Agnes, located in the Kreuzberg district of Berlin, was built by the architect and Senate Building Director Werner Düttmann from 1964 to 1967. The ensemble, which has been largely preserved in its original condition and is listed as a historic monument, consists of the church building with a sacristy, chapel and tower, the former community center and a kindergarten. In order to convert the former St. Agnes Community Center into a cultural center, all rooms were reconstructed and renovated for various occupants, such as an architectural agency, a cafe, a gallery, a publishing house and classrooms for the art students of the New York University (NYU). Two apartments are also included in the ensemble.
The existing church building was converted into a gallery. The adaptations were made with the minimum number of interventions. In order to gain exhibition space, a "concrete table" was installed in the existing nave, creating a showroom on the ground floor and a new exhibition space on the first floor, both of which can be accessed via the staircase. The entire façade, which consisted of historically-protected, fair-faced concrete surfaces and shotcrete (sprayed concrete) stucco, was extensively renovated, and all horizontal and vertical elements of the glass façade were treated according to the requirements and standards and, in part, renewed. All measures were planned and carried out in close cooperation with the Berlin Monument Authority. Additionally, an apartment has been constructed in the tower.
