Church Basement Renovation

The Renovation Begins
Jan 31, 2005

It's moving along: The next step in the renovation of the basement of the church, a renovation that will transform the space into a beautiful parish center, started with a meeting between the ministry heads and the archtectural team. Representatives from most of the ministries and groups convened to meet the architectural team and hear their proposals for the space.

Saphire Associates, P.C., an architectural firm located at 20 Nassau St., was chosen to direct the effort. They specialize in commercial construction and renovation and have worked extensively in the Princeton area, including the University and various parishes in the immediate vicinity. And, because they are a local firm, they guarantee to be responsive. Posing with Bill Ryan and Msgr. Nolan are the representatives of the firm assigned to this project. Mr. Saphire is to the right of Msgr, and next to him (from left to right) are Jeff Mccue, Edwin Albarran and Sebastian Saler.

Shown here is Joseph Saphire explaining his preliminary drawings. Mr. Saphire made it clear that his drawings were preliminary, and that input from the various ministries, organizations and groups that expect to use the renovated space would be carefully considered and their needs incorporated into the final design. In fact, the first order of business during the meeting was a short survey that was given to the attendees.

Mr. Saphire explained that his general vision is to design the space so that it is barrier-free, potentially with a direct outside entrance and elevator, with light, air conditioning and heat geared toward making the space more home-like than institutional, with a flexible layout and plenty of storage. In other words, a community center that can easily accommodate small meetings, larger gatherings, meals, as well as the unique requirements posed by diverse ministries like music, the library, etc. After taking into account the information provided by the returned surveys, the firm will present a design scheme, probably by April or May. Acquiring the construction documents (permissions and permits) will take about eight weeks. Meanwhile, bids for construction will be solicited, with actual construction projected to take about five months (give or take).

Drawings Are Approved
November, 2005

Drawings of the renovation, shown here, have been approved and Saphire Associates are now applying for needed construction documents. Those having offices in the basement have been asked to relocate by the end of this year, with the hope that construction can begin after the first of next year (2006).

Entry Court: The point of view of the rendering is the parking lot in back of the church, standing behind the Rectory and looking toward the church. The area now occupied by air conditioning units will become a handicapped-accessible general entryway into the basement. The area of the building behind the arbor will house the needed mechanical equipment, soon to be out of sight.
Administrative Office Area: This is the view of the entryway you would see if you were leaving the basement area, on your way out of the building. For the handicapped, there is an elevator (not shown). This area of the renovation includes several meeting rooms (with conference tables), lounges equipped with comfortable chairs for small group meetings, and offices for those employees (like the Director of Music) who will be located in the renovated space, as well as for permanent ministries like the Library, Hispanic Ministry, etc.

Reception Hall: The main reception area is designed so that it can be used for large-scale gatherings as well as functioning as a theater-like area with provision for 110 seats. The stage itself is movable so that smaller events can be held without using the entire area. Behind the curved walls is hidden a new kitchen, which reflects the reality of the way current receptions are done: There is extensive tray storage and warming ovens, since most events are catered rather than cooked these days. If you examine the architect's plans (shown next), you'll see that there are dividers that can be used to further partition the large space into smaller areas. Ample and attractive storage space has been provided for furniture, tables, provisions, etc.

Floor plan: Architect's plans for the space.

Finally! We Have Progress!
December, 2006

A full year after the plans are approved, construction finally starts. (The holdup was blamed on the permit process.) It began with demolition of the space, including removal of some asbestos insullation. Signs of construction are very visible from the back parking lot and the interior walkway. As of December, the basement area is entirely off limits. This causes only slight inconvenience: the loss of a few parking spaces and the unavailability of the basement restrooms.

The basement is a mass of metal wall studs and HVAC boxes (at least, that's our best guess). The air conditioning system will be relocated to make room for a new entrance and elevator, all of which will lie on what was formerly the office area (and, if you've been here long enough, a stage area before that).

This and the next picture are taken from the back of the basement, looking toward Nassau St. The wall that served as the back of the gathering area and which provided a hallway to access the offices that occupied the raised area is gone and the space looks enormous.

A massive metal floor over the raised area is being welded in place. But the space is a sea of metal studs and wires that dangle everywhere. It's hard to guess what part of the proposed space is where. Never mind. After a year, it's wonderful to finally see something happening.