Sunset Presbyterian Church

Sanctuary Designed to Draw More People to Contemporary Worship Space

by Melody Finnemore

Officials at Sunset Presbyterian Church hope a new sanctuary on the northwest Portland campus will not only accommodate a growing number of members, but will draw even more guests to musical productions and other events.

A new sanctuary on the Sunset Presbyterian Church's campus in northwest Portland will allow the church to feature musical productions and speakers. Rendering courtesy of Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects

"We hope to attract some shows and speakers," said Tom Frey, the church's project manager. "We're trying to create what eventually will be a concert hall."

Andersen Construction Co. Inc. of Portland started building the $9 million project in May and expects to complete it in June. Located at 14986 N.W. Cornell Road, the 56,500-sq.-ft. sanctuary features 1,500 seats on the main level and 1,000 seats in the balcony.

The structure also includes a basement, offices, meeting space, a cry room for families with small children, and a 2,300-sq.-ft. platform stage with a backstage green room.

Paul Durant, Andersen's project manager, said the unique shape of the building, the amount of structural steel used in its construction and the detailed interior work add to the project's complexity.

"Everything is custom," he said. "The finish work inside the building is really beautiful, from the wood finishes to the hand-crafted railings."

Ankrom Moisan Associated Architects of Portland incorporated the natural finishes and day-lighting to create a space that is welcoming for members and guests, said design architect Jim Smith.

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"It's not the typical black-box theater with no windows that you see in many churches that offer theatrical productions," he said. "We designed the space to be intimate and dramatic and engaging for the people who worship there."

Sunset Presbyterian Church hired Ankrom Moisan in 1997 to craft a master plan for the campus and design an interim sanctuary that would house worship services until a larger, permanent sanctuary could be built. The campus is situated on just 15.5 acres, with its buildings nestled among a courtyard and wetlands, so the permanent structure now taking shape had to fit within a tight space.

"The challenge initially was how to provide worship space for 1,000 people without a sanctuary," Smith said. "Now the challenge is how to accommodate the 2,500 seats we're including in the new sanctuary."

The fan-shaped room allows most of the seats to be placed near the stage, while the balcony provides space for the remaining seats.

However, circular buildings can be more difficult to construct because of the complex steel connections, Smith said. In addition, all of the work has taken place while church members and guests attend services, classes and other activities on campus.

"The sanctuary is really the jewel in the crown of the campus," he added. "It's right in the center, so we've had to create a plan that would allow people to continue using their campus. The general contractor has really bent over backwards to make sure this has gone well."

Along with a larger worship space, the inclusion of a state-of-the-art production system within the sanctuary is yet another design element that signals a growing trend among churches.

"There's a huge focus on the theatrical component - the lighting and acoustical systems in contemporary worship spaces - that wasn't there even a decade ago," Smith said.

Church project manager Frey said the cost for such improvements is steep and some elements have been postponed until the church can raise more money. However, the growing pains are part of serving a larger number of attendees, he said.

"It's leveled off in the last year or so, but when we moved to the Cornell site our attendance exploded because we had a new sanctuary with room for more people," Frey added. "We're trying to reach young people, married couples and young families. There's tremendous potential out there."