Amazon's Audible turned a historic deserted church into an 'Innovation Cathedral' but preserved its stained glass, pipe organ, and bowling alley
- In May, Amazon's Audible subsidiary opened an office in a restored historic Newark, New Jersey church.
- The company is calling the former Presbyterian church an "Innovation Cathedral," and says that it will draw visitors and talent to the city, as well as curious city residents.
- The renovation kept the structure's stained glass, pipe organ, and bowling alley
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Amazon-owned audiobook and radio company Audible opened a new office in a historic Presbyterian church its hometown of Newark, New Jersey in May.
Audible is headquartered in Newark, New Jersey, where it moved in 2007. It has since become the city's fastest-growing private employer, and its new "Innovation Cathedral" is located about a block away from the headquarters. In the renovation, it preserved historic elements while updating other features, and making additions for workspaces.
The new workspace is part of Audible's commitment to Newark, according to founder and CEO Don Katz.
The cathedral is "proof that our efforts are yielding positive outcomes for business and invention culture, for the many talented people who want to work with us, and for the comeback of this great American city."
Audible also gives a $500 monthly stipend to employees living within Newark city limits, provides Amazon Fire tablets to Newark high school students, and offers those students paid internships. These policies are part of what Katz calls the "responsibility all corporations must take seriously" to invest in their communities.
Scroll to see how a 1933 church can be repurposed for a 2019 tech company.