Challenge

Project Brief

The campus of Highland Park Presbyterian Church is a neo-Gothic gem designed by famed local architect Mark Lemmon nearly a century ago. Presented with the challenges of improving pedestrian and vehicular flow, creating centralized gathering locations, and renovating its educational facilities, the church turned to Echelon to lead a project that would transform the campus while honoring its heritage. Design and construction partnerships were established early to define program needs, establish budgets and schedules, and explore existing conditions. The backbone of the project is the new Hunt Building, with underground parking, a contemporary worship hall, state of the art choral facilities, adult classrooms, and an office space to consolidate all church staff in a shared location. The historic Sanctuary now has multiple connection points to the remainder of campus and was upgraded with new HVAC and fire sprinkler systems, and the schools housed on campus were all renovated to meet modern educational needs. This project was envisioned to celebrate the rich history of a landmark church while solidifying its place for 100 years to come.