St. Stephen’s retained Goring & Straja Architects to develop a master plan focused on improvements to its the aging facilities, as well as an expansion to accommodate a growing staff and religious education program. After working closely with church and community groups, we developed a scheme that brought together all staff spaces onto a new upper floor, and reconfigured the Parish Hall so that it opens up to a landscaped courtyard and the existing sanctuary. The new structure, finished in wood siding with an exposed timber structural system, is characterized by a playful, open dynamism. This provides a deferential contrast to the solid and somber character of the poured-in-place concrete sanctuary. 

All improvements were accommodated within the facility’s existing footprint. By significantly lowering the height of the Parish Hall's street elevation, only minor increases were made to the building's mass. 

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City variances and design review were granted in our first hearing.