This was a classic problem of how to get those who can no longer navigate steps into a church designed by W. Halsey Wood, architect, and built in 1895 without destroying the church’s ambience or making those who enter the church on grade feel like they are second class citizens or a burden on the congregation.
As with many churches, the worship service is only part of the appeal of St. John’s Episcopal Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Many people come for music programs, childcare, and outreach gatherings that do not occur in the sanctuary. Solving two problems at once (handicapped accessibility and accommodating non-worship service attending visitors), a beautiful existing door to the parish hall was made fully functional with a mechanized power assist opening device, fully covered to allow for safe harbor in inclement weather, and ramped via earth and stained concrete rather than the classic zig-zagging ramp appliqué or techno-clumsy “lift”.
Utilizing copper and carefully crafted wood, this halo of visual reinforcement to an existing jewel in the crown of the parent building takes what is already there and gives it new life and focus, creating the sort of recognition of an aging population and new uses that challenge older civic and religious structures throughout the United States.
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