Accessibility without compromise.
Project update - Ribbon cutting!
"This Place Matters" is a national campaign created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 2008 . It's goal is to let people shine a spotlight on historic places that have played an important role in their life. On October 23, 2016, the members of the First Presbyterian Church in Mason, MI, dedicated the new work at the historic church., letting everyone know that "This Place Matters"! The church made a commitment to the historic downtown of Mason and invested $1.5 million into the structure. This investment in building and community will ensure the church will help meet the needs of their community for generations to come.
This historic church was built in 1900 and has served the congregation well. In 1960 an addition was built to include two floors of classroom spaces toward the rear of the church, behind a stone façade. The two story construction, so typical of this era, provides challenges for the disabled and for funerary functions of the church. Additionally the heating equipment and electrical infrastructure had outlived their useful life.
Street view of the First Presbyterian Church of Mason.
A master plan helped the congregation to prioritize and fund-raise to continue the building maintenance program they started a few years earlier. A new HVAC system and electrical service will help this historic building to serve the congregation for generations to come.
The new barrier-free entry is to be added in this location.
An addition to the building will include a new elevator which will provide access to all levels. A sensitive approach to this historic church is required to ensure the historic character is preserved. The church is located in the historic district and is a significant contributing structure.
A water color study sketch showing the historic character of the proposed addition. The new entry, shown to the left, will include the relocation of an existing limestone archway.
Massing models were generated to understand how a new addition could be added to an already complex building layout.
