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Westport Presbyterian Church

The reconstruction of a historic place of sanctuary for a church community following destruction

Information

Location Kansas City, Missouri
Size 27,000 SF
Completion 2016
Project Type Religious

In 2012, BNIM was selected to lead the reconstruction of the Westport Presbyterian Church in Kansas City, Missouri, a 27,000 square foot multi-story church building in one of Kansas City’s oldest and most historic neighborhoods. The existing church building was severely damaged in a catastrophic fire in 2011, and while much of the Church’s roof structure, interior structure and finishes were destroyed, the exterior limestone shell survived the fire in good condition. The restored original building and new addition houses a 150-seat sanctuary, 40-seat chapel, gathering space, fellowship room, 3,00 square foot multi-purpose room, administrative offices and office space, which can be leased to local non-profits. In addition, a 1,000 square foot “storefront” space is located at street level on Westport Road. The storefront serves the community and allows the Church to extend their ministry beyond the historic walls of the Sanctuary.

Impact + Innovation

Constructed in 1905, the original stone façade of Westport Presbyterian Church stands today as one of the most notable structures in the heart of Kansas City’s historic Westport community. In reverence to the Church’s rich history, this project restores the most significant portion of the original church structure – the original sanctuary building and tower. The new addition creates a stronger presence in Westport, while acknowledging the tradition and history of both the Westport Presbyterian Church and the community it serves.

Process

The Westport Presbyterian Church congregation, which had celebrated the 185-year anniversary of its founding at the start of the project, worked closely with BNIM’s design team to define its vision for the next 100 years. The design solution was reverent to the history of the church as well as dynamic and forward-thinking, reflective of the Westport neighborhood. Employing sustainable building strategies, our team designed and constructed a high-performance building envelope, rainwater gardens, extensive storm water management, and deconstructed the historical church to reuse salvaged stone and wood, ensuring materials that had been part of the Church’s history for the past 100 years would continue into the next century. With the music ministry holding a very important role in Westport Presbyterian Church, BNIM’s team also worked with Jaffe Holden to design an acoustical space within the sanctuary that created a balance between the human voice and the organ. A 21 Stop Opus 24 organ, constructed by Martin Pasi of Pasi Organ Builders was part of the design solution.

People

Team

Casey Cassias
Sam De Jong
Adam Wiechman
Erik Heitman
Elise Hubbard
Nick Fratta
Carly Pumphrey
Brian McKinney
Aaron Ross

Client

Westport Presbyterian Church

This is one that put a smile on all our faces. There was a fire, and it destroyed just about everything on this church except for the stone walls. For the community to come together and rebuild this, and do it in such a thoughtful, elegant, and modern way, was something the jury really applauded.

The use of light, the study of how light came into the building, the way the building met the sidewalk, the way it clearly distinguished what was new versus what was old — we all thought it was very well-handled.

AIA Kansas Jury Comments, 2016

Many times, churches are built off the street and almost in their own private realm. By adding this community room, adding new landscape features, lifting the roof of the whole structure a couple of feet above the existing walls to bring in light — it seems like everything was done to really give the building a new life.

It wasn’t just a restoration, it was a repositioning of the whole church itself. It made for a better building, and we think more connected to the community.

AIA Kansas Jury Comments, 2016