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Designing with reverence
By JOHN PETRIMOULX ODESSA -- A church row, of sorts, is arising around a busy Odessa crossroads. Much like Town 'N Country's Sheldon Road, the area where Van Dyke Road meets the Veteran's Expressway is becoming a popular place to worship. In fact, one architectural firm, Pinellas-based Alexander and Associates, has designed two new churches here on Lakeshore Road. Markedly different in style and appearance, they illustrate Will Alexander's form-follows-function approach. St. Timothy Catholic Church's $10-million church complex and parish center, near completion on 28 acres bordering Lakeshore Road and the Veterans, boasts a seven-story neoclassical dome, intended to be "striking and highly visible" from the highway, Alexander says. Just down Lakeshore, Van Dyke United Methodist Church will break ground this month on a $5-million expansion, adding 30,000 square feet,including a 1,100-seat sanctuary in a project that is far more subdued -- at least from the outside. Alexander says the unique needs of each church group led to the completely different look of the two projects. St. Timothy was aiming for an architectural showcase while Van Dyke United Methodist needed a venue to communicate its message through technology. "We kept working with each group until we had a design with a reverence for worship that met their functional needs," Alexander said. Copper dome was 'blinding'St. Timothy's structure has been turning heads for months. Jeffrey Mays, assistant pastor at nearby Cornerstone Presbyterian, said the copper dome was "so blinding, we thought it would cause traffic accidents." The dome is not just for show, Alexander said. It also goes with the novel layout of St. Timothy's. The church is built around a central altar, a trend in new Catholic churches, but a first for the diocese of St. Petersburg. "The central altar lent itself to a dome," he said. He credits liturgical consultant Dick Bosko for the overall "village concept" of four buildings connected by covered walkways. The church nave, which holds 1,400, is attached to the narthex, a smaller domed entrance flanked by small reflecting pools. The adjacent outside area offers space for 1,000 people to gather. Two 5,000-square-foot wings complete the village, providing a practice area for the choir, offices, a chapel, sacristies and rooms for reconciliation, what used to be called confession. A large courtyard connects to a 22,000-square-foot parish center, housing the parish office, a preschool, day care and a multipurpose room. The Rev. Patrick Kennedy, St. Timothy's pastor, recently moved into his new office. "It's been five years since parishioners first started looking at expanding," he said. "The parish has been operating out of a multipurpose building that limited worship and the activities of our groups." Kennedy says the new facilities will see plenty of use. "We have 1,000 families now and we're growing by 20 more a month," he said. "Down the road we can expand the parish center and we are planning a second phase of building when we can raise the funds." That second phase will provide a two-story school building, a rectory and ball field on 14 undeveloped acres. Kennedy pointed to religious themes reflected in the design. "The water is meant to remind us that it is through the water of baptism that we become Christians," he said, referring to the 2-acre pond that surrounds the church on three sides and separates it from parking areas. "It also signifies the journey we make from the material world into the spiritual world, into God's world. The central altar allows everyone to gather around the table of the Lord." 'Homey, not churchy'In contrast to St. Timothy's, Alexander says Van Dyke United Methodist design reflects a completely different set of needs. The exterior of the building will be "understated," with the emphasis instead on interior features, particularly for the sanctuary. "The new chancel is more than twice the size of the current one," he said, referring to the 75-foot wide stage at the front of the sanctuary. "They have a 150-member choir and a musical ensemble." New multimedia technology will include theatrical-quality lighting and sound systems. Bob King, facilities manager at Van Dyke UnitedMethodist, says the 50-foot deep chancel will be unusual in that a curtain will allow part of the chancel to be closed off when the space isn't needed. "We'll need the whole space for our cantatas at Christmas, Easter and the Fourth of July," he said."We have big sets. We had a 30-foot flag as a backdrop for the Fourth this year." The dramatic presentations and modern music further what building committee chairman Lewis Conwell says is the church's goal, to present the message so that it makes an impact by employing the media tools and methods people regularly experience outside church. The 1,100-seat sanctuary is just one part of the 30,000-square-foot expansion. "We will have a 200-seat chapel for smaller weddings and funerals," King said. "There will be room for the choir ministry, offices, a multipurpose room and 2,000 to 4,000 square feet of new nursery space." The nearly $5-million project will allow continued church growth. "Fifteen hundred people a week are using our existing sanctuary, which holds 400," King said. "It will become our fellowship hall, a multipurpose room for dinners, concerts and other activities." King says the design of the new building fits the church's mission. "We want to reach people, not build monuments," he said. "It will be simple -- homey and not churchy." Construction, to be completed in about a year, is set for 4 acres between the existing structures and Lakeshore Road, where the church's new entrance will be. At St. Timothy, site superintendent Rick Mullins expects work to be complete by mid-November, in time for a Dec. 7 dedication. And he's not too worried about the dome causing traffic accidents. "The copper on the dome is already beginning to oxidize," he said. "Eventually, it will turn green."
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