Master Plan

Next Steps Committee

Vestry Minutes, September 16, 2004:
Charge for the Long-Range Plan Implementation Committee (Next Steps Committee)

The Long-Range Plan Implementation Committee is responsible for carrying out the recommendations of the parish Long-Range Plan submitted to the Vestry in May 2004. The committee will:

- review the Long-Range Plan recommendations and propose a plan for the most effective means of implementation;

- establish and monitor an implementation timetable for the various recommendations;

- hire and direct the work of consultants for design and fund-raising; and

- call on the Long-Range Planning Committee subcommittees for expert advice, as required.

The chair of the Long-Range Plan Implementation Committee will report directly to the Rector and Senior Warden and will made periodic status reports to the Vestry. The committee will conclude its work as the various recommendations are implemented but no later than September 30, 2005.

We propose Ted Vaden to serve as chair, with the other members to be appointed by the Rector and Wardens in consultation with the chair. The Rector, Sr. Warden, Hospitality Committee Chair, and Program Review Committee Chair would be ex-officio members.

The Committee was subsequently renamed The Next Steps Committee and the date for submitting a report to the Vestry was extended to May 13, 2006

Next Steps Committee Membership as of May 13, 2006:

Ted Vaden (Chair)

Paul Carew

Reid Conrad

Martha Dill

Terry Eason

Linda Rimer

Barbara Schutz

Rob Sullivan

Robert Wright

Stephen Elkins-Williams, ex officio

Jim Crow, Senior Warden, ex officio

John McGee, Treasurer, ex officio

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Next Steps Committee of the Chapel of the Cross (CotC) commissioned Hartman Cox Architects to provide Master Plan design services based on the report (Plan) from the Long Range Planning Committee dated May 2005. That report was the result of two years of study and research into:

· Worship

· Education and Christian Formation

· Social Ministry and Outreach to the University

· Social Ministry and Outreach to the community

· Fellowship and hospitality

· Support space for the clergy, staff, and lay volunteers

The effort to create a Master Plan began in the late summer of 2005 and focused on:

· Evaluating the existing buildings and support systems,

· Investigating the nature of prior growth at CotC,

· Establishing necessary areas associated with program functions listed in the Plan,

· Proposing conceptual programmatic resolutions through use of an iterative method,

· Exploring potential aesthetics through massing and elevation schemes.

The Chapel of the Cross was completed in 1848. An attached vesting room/office to the south was modified in 1890 by creating an opening into the Chapel to become a sanctuary. A small Parish House named the Battle Building was added in 1916. In 1925, a new Church was built to the east, and linked to the Chapel via a greatly enhanced version of the Battle Building. In 1958, the Yates wing was added to the south of the Battle building. In 1993, the courtyard between Yates and Battle was filled, the parish offices were expanded, and interior modifications were accomplished within the entire Parish House. Although the Chapel and the Church were immediately useful and remain so today, the program needs of the parish are no longer satisfied by the Battle and Yates structures. By virtue of their ad hoc growth, modification or expansion is problematic. In fact, the Long Range Plan intimates, and our study confirms, that the current arrangement is an impediment to the proper and appropriate functions of the parish.

To accommodate the parish program, to plan appropriately for future growth and flexibility, and to take advantage of the assets and limitations of the building site, the Next Steps Committee recommends that we demolish the existing Parish House, and provide new construction to meet current and anticipated needs of the CotC. The constraints imposed by the structural limitations of Battle and Yates are simply too great to warrant expending efforts to incorporate them through renovation or restoration. Some historic elements may be reused, and certainly the character of the Battle parlor will be recreated in a new, more accommodating, flexible, and better-organized building designed to support parish programmatic needs in the twenty-first century. In addition, new construction will better allow the congregation to demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship through enhanced energy efficiency, water conservation, indoor air quality and storm-water management.

The programs and space needs required to satisfy needs envisioned in the Plan will total more than 59,000 ft². The Master Plan proposes new construction on four floors stretching across the southern boundary of the property, and abutting the Chapel and the Church at their southern margins. Specifically:

· A new Fellowship Hall with kitchen facility, located at the southern end of the existing parking lot. The Fellowship Hall will be approximately 3,600 ft², can seat 225 for meals and 250 for meetings or worship, and will be on the same level as the Chapel and Church. Doors to the south will open toward the Arboretum and a new terrace.

· Classrooms for small children are on the ground floor with a doorway to the Arboretum. This level also has direct access to the playground located adjacent to the Fellowship Hall along the western side of the property.

· A new Parlor is located next to the Fellowship Hall with doors opening onto the southern terrace. Large doors permit the Parlor to open into the Fellowship Hall for added capacity and flexibility. A new Library will be provided off of the Entrance Gallery, just across from the Courtyard. An enlarged Episcopal Campus Ministry area is strategically located on the first floor in the southwest corner overlooking the Arboretum with entrances directly to the campus on both the ground and first floors.

· The second floor will have larger office and work spaces for clergy and staff, with rooms for confidential counseling and/or meetings.

· The third floor will have youth and adult classrooms, and a secluded meditation room in the tower overlooking the Arboretum. All classrooms on this floor, as well as the ground floor, will be noticeably larger than the current classrooms.

· All spaces and places are intended to be hospitable, well organized and welcoming.

The Master Plan addresses the need for phasing construction to enable the CotC to continue parish operation on-site, if desired. A possible first phase would involve building the Fellowship Hall with kitchen while leaving most of the Battle and Yates buildings intact. The Fellowship Hall, the ground floor space below, and the third floor classrooms above then would then be utilized for temporary housing of parish operations during a second phase involving removal of Yates and Battle with construction of the remainder of the new Parish House.

The new construction will have some areas that require greater attention to detail and materials, and some that can be more straightforward. The highly detailed spaces may cost more than $350 per square foot, while other spaces may cost about $250 per square foot. At this conceptual level, we are assuming an average of $300 per square foot, which could bring the total construction costs close to $17.7 million (~59,000 ft² x $300/ft²). Associated costs will add another $2 million to the total project cost. Phasing the construction will also add cost, the amount of which is difficult to determine until the spread of the phases is determined.

By providing new and enlarged spaces, a more friendly and flexible layout of rooms, and a significant emphasis on hospitality, the proposed Master Plan will ensure the continued success of the parish program at the CotC, and better accommodate future growth of this important and historic ministry.

Next Steps Committee

May 13, 2006

History of our Buildings

A review of the sequence of additions to the physical structures
at 304 East Franklin Street from 1842 through 2006
prepared at the request of the Next Steps Committee
to facilitate an understanding of our historical context.

April 2006

The Chapel of the Cross

History of our Buildings

The following series of drawings depicts the evolution of structures that comprise the buildings of the Chapel of the Cross in 2006.

1848

The Chapel was completed in 1848 based upon a design by Thomas Ustick Walter of Philadelphia. The original structure featured a large rectangular nave with a simple altar table placed against the south wall. Two wood stoves were located along the center of the side walls. A gallery at the rear of the nave accommodated slaves accompanying families for worship. No basement was excavated under the original structure. A small office and vesting room was attached to the outside of the south wall behind the altar. Pictures of the original chapel are on display in the parlor.

1890

The Rev Edward M. Gushee of Cambridge Massachusetts was rector from Nov 1, 1890 to March 1, 1891. The Gothic Revival style of architecture was popular, and he undertook revisions to modernize the original colonial design. He had the interior walls painted dark red, rearranged the pews to create a center aisle for processions, relocated the wood stoves to the rear of the chapel, and cut an arch through the south wall to create a sanctuary for the altar. A new office and vesting room with a fireplace was built beside the southwest corner. Judging from appearance, the doors and frames in the new room were salvaged from the former vesting room. Pictures of the chapel during this era are on display in the parlor. Electric lights installed in 1899 replaced the original oil lamps. In 1903 a small basement was excavated and a steam furnace installed to replace the wood stoves. A telephone was installed in 1909. The furnace flue proved to be inadequate and was replaced with a large chimney on the outside of the east wall in 1912. It was subsequently removed in the 1950 chapel renovation.

1916

In 191l, the Rev. Homer Starr was called as Rector. He immediately began promoting plans for construction of a Parish Hall. Hobart Upjohn of New York furnished plans in 1913 for an addition to be named for Dr. Kemp Battle and Pattie Battle who “had been members for 69 years.” The one-story structure completed in 1916 included a classroom that linked the southeast corner of the chapel with a fellowship hall. The hall included a kitchen, bathroom, and meeting room with fireplace on the east end. The chimney between the classroom and fellowship hall provided a vent for the classroom woodstove and the kitchen woodstove. A small basement beneath the fellowship hall provided space for a furnace that vented through the fireplace chimney. A picture in the parlor of the chapel overgrown with ivy shows the 1912 chapel furnace flue on the east wall, and the 1916 classroom and parish hall.

1925

In 1920 the North Carolina Episcopal Convention passed a resolution endorsing plans for enlargement of the Chapel of the Cross to better serve the needs of the University community. In 1921, William Erwin pledged $50,000 for construction of a new church provided the congregation raise $25,000 to improve and enlarge the parish hall. The chapel was to be “left intact and used for a Sunday school auditorium, for meetings of the congregation, for Lenten Services, and for other purposes not requiring a very large seating space.” The cornerstone for the new church (shown in green) was laid in 1924 and the diocesan convention was held in the new building in May, 1925. A cloister connecting the new church and old chapel was given by William Meade Prince in memory of his grandfather, W. H. Meade who served as rector from 1898 to 1908. The parish hall was expanded (shown in yellow) by adding a kitchen and vesting room on the east with a basement for a steam furnace to heat the greatly expanded facility. An addition on the west without a basement (shown in yellow) included space for a parlor with fireplace, a parish office and a rector’s study. A second floor containing classrooms and a room for student residents was included thus entirely engulfing the original parish hall structure while retaining the Battle Building name.

1958

In 1950, Rector David Yates informed the Vestry of the need for a long range plan to include building expansion, and additions to the staff of an assistant rector and a chaplain. A planning committee report, published in 1955, called for construction of a new wing with classrooms, space for a college student program, space for a youth program, and the addition of a corridor to permit transit of the building without passing through the dining room. George Watts Carr was engaged as architect. A survey done in preparation for construction (shown in yellow) revealed the existing church extended 12 feet beyond the east boundary line. The University deeded additional land to the church, and waived the 25 foot setback while continuing the requirement of the 1922 deed that all new construction on our site be subject to review by the University Architect for compatibility with surrounding structures. The flat roof of the proposed new wing was then disapproved by the UNC Buildings and Grounds Committee until a new mansard design, matching the existing Battle Building, was submitted by the contractor, Walter Toy. The expanded parish hall provided all the resources recommended by the planning committee along with a new kitchen, sacristy and vesting room. It included a full basement and a second floor with classrooms. A service of dedication for the new addition was held in September 1958. Following the death of Mr. Yates in 1967, the new wing was officially dedicated in his honor in April 1968,

1993

A report to the Vestry by the Christian Education Committee in 1984 stimulated the Vestry to engage architect Herb McKim in December 1985 to conduct a study of expansion options. The Space Needs Committee Report of 1988 called for a new fellowship hall, along with enlarged office and storage space. In May, 1989 the vestry received the report of an outside consulting group called the Human Services Institute. It urged the parish to provide for enhanced youth ministry and undertake major improvements in the building. “The present condition of facilities with the exception of the Chapel and the Sanctuary creates for the visitor an impression that the people of Chapel of the Cross do not take their church seriously, do not engage in serious education and lack interest in clear communication. The atmosphere created in the hallways is one of darkness and coldness. The facilities of Chapel of the Cross are old and they are very well utilized. This is, however, no excuse for allowing them to become dirty and disheveled to the degree that the consultants observed.” It was also noted that the Chapel of the Cross was “...woefully lacking in debt.” The Institute report strongly urged attention to building expansion noting “…the church needs challenges.” Herb McKim of Wilmington was subsequently engaged to design building additions and renovations that were completed in April, 1994. Virtually every space in the facility was upgraded. Additions included expansion of the west end of the Battle Building, expansion of the west end of the Yates Wing, and infill to the courtyard between Battle and Yates. An elevator and new bathrooms enhanced access and resources for those with disabilities. A stairwell added to the east end of the Yates wing permitted, for the first time, access to attic space under the roof of the Yates building.

Existing Facility

Thus we arrive at a composite view of our existing facility. There is substantial agreement that the chapel and church have great architectural distinction and will continue to serve our needs for the indefinite future.

By contrast the parish hall is comprised of a patchwork of structures built over many decades and incorporating design elements from multiple architects. The additions and renovations to the framework have established a network of hallways and spaces than can be confusing. Numerous modifications to roofing, heating, lighting and air-conditioning systems of differing age and design present challenges for maintenance. These factors, as well as current and projected program needs, are considerations in creating a Master Plan for the Chapel of the Cross and its future.

Rob Sullivan

Next Steps Committee

Chapel of the Cross

April 3, 2006