In 1897, a few Episcopalians in Glen Ellyn , Illinois , got together to hold a church service, leading to the founding of St. Mark's Episcopal Church. Three years later, the church built its first building, a wood-frame structure that was used for more than 40 years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the growing church took on several building projects, expanding to meet the needs of the parish. For more than 30 years, however, St. Mark's remained basically the same, with no major building projects or additions taking place.

In 1999, with the parish again expanding, a committee was formed to assess the needs of the church and to begin a capital campaign to raise necessary funds. Several issues stood out to the committee.

First of all, the church needed more overall space to accommodate new people coming into the parish. The old parish hall had deteriorated, and a new space was needed for church fellowship activities and to accommodate other community groups that meet at the facility throughout the week.

Classroom space was particularly at a premium, with insufficient room for youth education, adult education and fellowship. A new updated kitchen was needed, as well as a gift shop. And, the church realized that accessibility was a problem for older people and those with disabilities. Church leaders wanted to make sure the new facility met the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

After evaluating the existing structures and developing a master plan, Williams Architects of Carol Stream, Illinois, was able to work with the church to design a project to meet the space needs. Although modern in amenities, the new facility needed to maintain the character of the campus, blending with an existing education building and the half-century-old nave already in place.

"An outstanding aspect of this project is that the new building is a modern facility designed to fit the historic, gothic character of the existing church campus," said Andrew Caputo, the project architect on the team that conceived the design.

The new building features a pointed-arched entry portal, round windows with quatrefoil detail, and copper gutters and flashing. To maintain the aesthetic context of the existing structures, the design process involved close examination of the stone used in the existing building exteriors and a concentrated effort to find an appropriate match.

Indiana limestone was chosen for the exterior, for both economic and aesthetic reasons. During construction, numerous mock-up panels of stone were constructed with variations in color, size, finish and mortar color to arrive at the best match. A roof design also was developed in proportion to the steeply pitched roof of the nave.

Inside the church, an open-beam ceiling configuration imitates the ceiling treatment of the existing nave. Custom oak woodwork and paneling gives the new structure an older, established feel.

The church grounds at St. Mark's are tightly situated on a block of residential dwellings, adjacent to a downtown business district. Though the church was land-locked, leaders felt it was important not to eliminate the current lawns or reduce parking space. Architects also were mindful of setback requirements and pedestrian and vehicular traffic needs.

The challenge was to retain the "footprint" of the facility, meaning not significantly increasing the land space used, while adding additional square footage. Instead of spreading out, the new facility was designed to spread vertically, with the single-story parish hall being replaced with a two-story facility.

The next challenge came in physically joining the new, two-story building with the existing structure. This was executed by Williams Development, a Williams Architects affiliate.

At the beginning of the construction phase, the entire south masonry wall of the existing church was shored and supported with steel piles and wood lagging in order to excavate the basement for the new addition.

"In connecting the new building to the nave and educational building, during the excavation portion of the construction process, the foundations of the existing structures were carefully shored up to keep the foundation walls intact," said Dave Stermetz, a principal with the construction management company.

Williams Development, as construction manager, worked with the architectural firm throughout the process. As Williams Architects developed the design, Williams Development prepared cost estimates. During the bidding process, the company carefully selected qualified subcontractors. The development company also worked with the church to develop a construction plan to ensure that the church could continue to operate during construction.

"Scheduling had to take into consideration the economics and logistics of job task priorities, as well as the operational needs of a functioning church congregation," Stermetz noted.

Once completed, the project was a beautiful addition to both the church and the community. In fact, Williams Architects and Williams Development have received several awards for the St. Mark's addition, including the Village of Glen Ellyn 's Traveling Trophy Award, presented by the municipality's Architectural Review Commission. This award recognizes excellence in achieving the aesthetic objectives contained in the Village's Appearance Guide and Criteria document and the Village's Comprehensive plan. Winners are selected based on how the building project promotes a coherent and unique community identity. St. Mark's possessed the trophy for the 2004-2005 year.

The project also received the "Best Religious" award in the Illinois-Indiana Masonry Council's 2004 Excellence in Masonry award competition, where it also was chosen to receive a Craftsmanship award.

Williams Architects, www.williams-architects.com , is an established architecture firm serving a range of clients in diverse markets, including municipal, recreation, religious and corporate. Williams Development, www.williamsdevelopment.com , is an established construction management, design-build and owners' representative company.

Fast Facts

Church: St. Mark's Episcopal Church

Location: Glen Ellyn , Illinois

Weekly Attendance: About 400 people in two services

Project: Replace parish hall with a new building, which includes a parish hall, modern kitchen, classrooms and a gift shop

Size: 14,000-square-foot, two-story addition

Cost: $3.6 million

Design Challenge: Create more space without significantly enlarging the existing "footprint," as no additional land was available for expansion

Solution: Replaced the single-story building with multi-storied space, while integrating the addition with the church's existing structures