This church is squeezed onto a full block of slightly less than four acres in an historic neighborhood. The addition, authored by Parks in a three person office, doubled the built area on the site.
This expansion features a new 840-seat sanctuary and support spaces, including eleven classrooms and a music rehearsal suite. While keeping the existing campus’ scale and vocabulary, the sanctuary design stresses acoustical sensitivity to support the musical excellence demanded by the congregation and its new 2600 pipe organ. The chancel platform differs from the typical layout to create an arrangement of elements that is original and symbolically richer. A new elevator worked with other elements to accessibility throughout the complex.
The facility has become a favorite concert venue for numerous choral groups and was recognized by the Winston-Salem Community Appearance Commission for its sensitivity to the historic neighborhood. The project was completed in 2003 at a below-budget cost of $5.8M.
Barry A. Parks 