Quinn Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church is home to the oldest Black congregation in Chicago, with roots tracing back to the city’s underground railroad.

The church has been a community gathering place since its construction in 1891 and has hosted notable figures such as Susan B. Anthony and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At its inception, the house of worship was designed in a traditional gothic style and made of limestone. Due to this style and the age of the building, Quinn Chapel has consistently overheated in the summer months, causing parishioners extreme discomfort and sometimes deterring them from attending Sunday service in the auditorium. With temperatures inside the church sometimes reaching more than 80°F, chapel leadership sought a solution that would keep the building accessible to the community year-round.

As a part of the Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) Community of the Future Program, Slipstream partnered with ComEd to implement a restoration project at this historic church. The team initiated planning in 2021 and determined that an all-electric, high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow (VRF) heating and cooling system was the best option for the chapel as it addressed multiple cooling challenges within the auditorium, the age of the building, navigating the attic, and limiting penetrations in the tin ceiling.

In 2023 the system was installed, and temperature and power analyses have been ongoing since then. The power analysis in the summer of 2023 showed the VRF units’ power usage was limited because they were primarily used to control the temperature in the auditorium on Sundays. The temperature analysis showed that the new cooling units had a dramatic impact on keeping the building cool for parishioners during the summer months.

With the installation of the VRF system, Quinn Chapel successfully balanced historical preservation with modern comfort, creating a space where tradition and innovation could come together to serve the community year-round.