Visitors are greeted by the church staff which will be relocated to a new office suite just inside the new entrance vestibule. A new elevator provides convenient access from the grade level vestibule to the Lower and Main Floor levels of the building. The former church offices on the Main Level will be renovated into a new gathering area with raised ceilings that expose the full height of the gothic arched stained glass windows which are currently partially obscured.
To the north of the gathering area will be a new classroom with a vaulted ceiling that will accommodate two relocated gothic arched stained glass windows. The gathering area will extend the length of the west wing of the existing building and connect to the Sanctuary with a new pair of custom wood doors. New accessible restrooms and a new library area will be created adjacent to the renovated gathering area.
While the addition will incorporate matching brick and relocated windows, RKA has designed the new addition to provide an updated aesthetic while being respectful of the materials and massing of the existing building. The new elevator lobby and elevator shaft are expressed as a new “entry tower” on the northwest corner of the building that compliments and bookends the existing “church tower” on the northeast corner of the building.
Prior to this project, Rogers Krajnak Architects created a Master Plan for Grace Lutheran Church in 2007 that recommended additions, renovations, and upgrades to the existing building. Grace Lutheran Church was formed in 1837. The current church was constructed in 1889 and expanded in 1927 and 1962. To learn more about Grace Lutheran Church and this project, visit their website at http://www.gracefortomorrow.com/
