St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, New Entry Pavilion and Improvements
September 16th, 2024
NEWS
St. Mary’s is a noted historical church whose origins relate to “plans for a cathedral for the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania that would rival those of Europe.” The church is located along a busy residential and commercial corridor in the city’s northwest Roxborough neighborhood. In 1979, the Cathedral Village retirement community was established on the site, with one wing attached to the church.
For years St. Mary’s suffered issues related to entry and accessibility. At the main entrance, they lacked any enclosure or transition space, and deteriorations along the paved terrace presented safety and aesthetic challenges. Given that many of their congregants and Cathedral Village residents experience mobility issues, the lack of accessibility presented a major impediment.
VSBA’s entry pavilion creates a new face for the church. Context was paramount. The new pavilion acknowledges the church’s masonry materials, colors, and scale while expressing itself as an independent modern addition. The effect is a distinct new iteration that handsomely complements the church. It fits in while standing out, relates but doesn’t imitate. Its red doors take cues from another entry and reference traditional colors. The entry creates a powerful new physical and visual link from parking through the landscape into the church.
Beside the pavilion, a renewed bluestone terrace is a flexible place for small gatherings or even services. It extends into the landscape, with a dotted path leading down to gardens and cemetery. A large stone cross relocated to this site commemorates Bishop Thomas James Garland, buried at the church. On the lawn, a large dawn redwood tree overhangs the pavilion; we went to lengths to base the design around the tree, ensuring its health throughout construction.
Inside, the pavilion offers lightness and transparency. The space is large enough for people to meet and linger; comfy window seats provide places to sit and talk. The natural, transparent finish oak ceiling and benches bring warmth, color, and material texture to the space. The ceiling’s gathering of angles draws the eye upwards and serves as a backdrop to the soft glow of the central hanging lamp. (All of the transparent finish oak used in the pavilion was rift-sawn, for strength and appearance.) The more recessive painted oak trim and paneling harmonizes with the existing masonry and frames views of the lush lawn. The stone flooring links the outside bluestone pavers with slate inside the hallway.
As for all our projects, we considered sustainable materials and approaches. We selected durable, long-lasting materials. Operable windows provide natural ventilation and the vestibule fundamentally cuts down energy usage while increasing comfort.
Inside the sanctuary we promoted universal accessibility. We incorporated a new accessibility lift and used natural finish oak to craft a new stair from the hallway. As in the entry pavilion, natural wood harmonizes with the existing architecture and promotes a feeling of warmth while distinguishing the sanctuary from the corridor. We also modified building and life safety systems and gently integrated all new elements within the historical nave and sanctuary spaces.