PAPER PLANE ARCHITECTURE, PLLC
Brooklyn, New York

FIRST CHURCH OFLATTER RAIN

Mixed-Use Church & Community Building

Approved in 2020. Paused by the pandemic. Now returning — reimagined and expanded.

±21,000 SF
Cellar + 5 Floors
DOB Approved 2020
Brooklyn, NY
Project Overview

A church, coming back bigger.

First Church of Latter Rain is a mixed-use church and community building in Brooklyn, New York.

Paper Plane Architecture received DOB approval to build in December 2020 — but as Covid-19 spread, the owner paused construction. The church is now returning to build, working with Paper Plane Architecture again on an expanded design.

Three additional levels grow the project from roughly 15,000 to about 21,000 square feet, adding a daycare and new homes above the sanctuary — a full vertical community on one Brooklyn corner.

Then & Now

Approved in 2020, reimagined for what’s next.

Approved · 2020

±15,000 SF
  • Cellar Fellowship hall + commercial kitchen
  • Ground Sanctuary — 333 seats
  • 2nd Floor Six apartments
  • DOB approved December 2020 · paused by Covid-19

Expanded Design

±21,000 SF
  • Cellar Fellowship hall + commercial kitchen
  • Ground Sanctuary — 333 seats
  • 2nd Floor Daycare facility  (new)
  • 3rd–5th Apartments
  • +3 levels · designed again with Paper Plane Architecture
Street Presence · Brooklyn, New York
The Sanctuary

A 333-seat sanctuary at street level.

The ground floor holds the main worship space — a ±2,531-square-foot sanctuary seating 333, with a raised stage, a choir and musicians’ area, and a separate entrance to the residential floors above.

A bright, welcoming interior is anchored in the church’s signature red, with warm lighting and clear sightlines to the platform.

333 SeatsMain sanctuary
±2,531 SFWorship floor
Raised StageChoir & musicians
Street EntrySeparate residential access
Sanctuary interior with red seating, raised stage and church signage
Wide panoramic view of the sanctuary
Sanctuary · First Church of Latter Rain
Fellowship hall set with round banquet tables
Fellowship Hall

Gathering & dining, below the sanctuary.

The cellar level is a full fellowship hall with a commercial kitchen — room for shared meals, celebrations, and community events that keep the congregation connected beyond Sunday worship.

It’s the social heart of the building, sized for banquets and everyday gatherings alike.

The Expansion

Three new floors: a daycare and homes.

The expanded design reimagines the upper levels. The second floor — once six apartments — becomes a daycare with eight classrooms, bringing childcare to the neighborhood.

Above it, three residential floors add new apartments — making the building a true vertical community: worship, care, and housing stacked on one corner.

5th FloorApartments
4th FloorApartments
3rd FloorApartments
2nd FloorDaycare NEW
GroundSanctuary · 333 Seats
CellarFellowship + Kitchen
Floor Plans

One footprint, stacked for community.

From the street-level sanctuary to the daycare and homes above, each floor is planned for its role while sharing a compact Brooklyn footprint, stairs, and an elevator.

Ground floor plan: 333-seat sanctuary, stage, offices, foyer
Ground Floor · Sanctuary
Second floor plan: daycare with eight classrooms, kitchen and restrooms
Second Floor · Daycare
Typical residential floor plan with apartment units
Typical Residential Floor · Apartments
First Church of Latter Rain · Brooklyn
DOB Approved 2020 · Expanded Design

Approved once. Coming back, bigger.

What began as a 15,000-square-foot approval in 2020 is returning as a ±21,000-square-foot vertical community — sanctuary, fellowship, daycare, and homes — designed once again with Paper Plane Architecture.

DOB ApprovedDecember 2020
±21,000 SFExpanded design
Cellar + 5 FloorsVertical community
Sanctuary · Daycare · HomesOne building