Architect provides details on St. Dominic construction projects

Stewart Nelson: The firm of Gibson, Mancini, Carmichael & Nelson also was responsible for the design and renovation of the existing rectory office space into additional classroom and meeting space for the St. Dominic School. The renovation includes 1,185 square foot of new space added to the existing 2,895 square foot facility which provides for a new kindergarten room, a spare unfinished unassigned classroom "shell", three multi-purpose meeting rooms, a teacher workroom and public restrooms. This addition / renovation was made possible with the placement of new parish offices in the new parish center. The classroom addition was completed prior to the completion of the parish center. Parish offices were relocated within the church building for a short period of time while the classroom addition was finished. Once finished the parish "office" occupied the meeting room spaces as offices while the parish center was being completed.

SN: This facility is truly a "multi-purpose" facility in that it can be divided into a number of different size spaces to accommodate a variety of functions. When all of the moveable wall panels are "stacked" behind their concealed pockets the 8,500 square foot hall space can be fully utilized to accommodate a sit-down banquet for 600 persons. The walls can be extended to form a variety of different sized "meeting" spaces to accommodate any number of groups from the smallest group of 10 to the largest of nearly 900 for a single meeting.

SN: The wall panels can be fully extended to form 14 individual classrooms ranging in size from 395 square foot (12 students) to 780 square foot (22 students) each with their own entrance, tack and markerboards and storage room for the religious formation program. Each classroom exits out to a common corridor that "circles" the entire hall space. This design allows parishioners a circular "walking track" to exercise during the cold winter months.

SN: Some of the challenges were to design a facility that would meet the requirements of a parish center and religious formation (ie: design a hall to accommodate 600 for banquet dining but also take that same space and convert it into 14 classrooms for the religious formation program), but to also use the space for funeral dinners, wedding receptions, church gatherings, etc. It was a requirement to "tie" the parish center directly onto the church so people wouldn’t have to go outside in bad weather to get to the dinner or reception after the Mass. The building committee wanted it connected to the Church building but didn’t want it to "compete" with the Church. The Church was to still be the focal point of the religious campus.

SN: The 22,470 square foot facility is actually 6,300 square foot larger than the Church. The design needed to blend and complement the existing Church, not overwhelm it. We wanted the addition to look as if it were built at the same time as the church was built (1982). Although the parish center does not have a particular architectural "style" it was designed to complement the lines and geometry of the existing Church facility. Silverdale limestone, the identical stone used on both the interior and exterior of the existing Church was produced by the H.J. Born Stone Co. Cost considerations prevented the use of stone throughout the center. Also too much stone on the parish center might "overshadow" the beauty of the original Church building. A less costly exterior insulation finish system (E.I.F.S.) with a similar color and texture as that of the stone was used to help tie the two structures together. The E.I.F.S. also provided additional insulation value to the outside walls critical in keeping utility costs to a minimum on such a large facility. Sloping roofs of fire-treated shake shingles were used on portions of the lower roof areas of the center to match shingles used on the Church building. The pitched lower roof areas also helped to soften and minimize the immensity of the 25' foot high side walls of the parish hall space. The center was connected at the very southwest corner of the church through a connecting corridor that allows existing church exits to be maintained and to lock off each of the buildings from each other from a common entrance.

SN: Interior colors of reds, blues and greys used in the parish center reflect colors of the stained glass used prominently in the exterior windows of the Church Sanctuary space. Earth tones of tile and carpet used in the public areas of the parish center reflect the rust and earth tones of the lobby space of the church. A subtle "cross" in the tile pattern can be seen as you first enter the parish lobby at the intersection of the entrance lobby and the main cross corridor of the center

SN: The parish center was designed to meet the needs of a growing parish that has increased by 500 families since its inception in 1964. The facility will continue to meet those needs for many years to come.