Calvary Episcopal Church was first constructed in Golden in 1879 and is the oldest church in Colorado. Through the years, the church has acquired adjacent houses, which were used as offices and classrooms. In 2000, a building program was established, leading to the construction of the Great Hall on the opposite side of the one-acre site.
In the second phase of the building program, the house between the historic church and the Great Hall was to be demolished to make room for a connecting link between the historic building and the new hall.
The historic church was designed in a French Gothic style using native brick with precast arches and detailed features. The Great Hall followed suit, with gothic-style architecture, matching masonry and precast features.
The Phase 2 addition connecting the historic church and the Great Hall now brings the two existing facilities together. The new addition includes a new entry with a lobby incorporating an open fireplace and a library. The addition also provides three large classrooms, administrative offices, support space and numerous breakout spaces for intimate gatherings.
The exterior cloister walkway features repeating gothic arches as the visual connector between the Great Hall and the historic church. The cloister walkway allows protected circulation between buildings, with the 15-ft-high arches providing natural light for the offices and lobby.
Redemptoris Mater Seminary is an 11,000 SF addition to an existing seminary located at the John Paul II center. Himmelman Construction teamed up with Larson Architects to complete the second phase of the building which includes marble finishes, a chapel surrounded by a glu-lam beam roof structure, and a 100 foot tall bell tower. Breath-taking gold-leafed aluminum crosses adorn the bell tower and chapel.
The building was originally designed by a European architect who also worked on the first phase of the project. Himmelman Construction and Larson Architects worked on the established design together in order to develop creative solutions to some very complex design challenges.
The design of the bell tower structure required erectors to work at upwards of approximately 100 feet. Expert skill and scrupulous safety measures were employed. The highly skilled and competent, Steel Fabricators erected the tower seamlessly. Safety is Himmelman Constructions’ number one priority and as such, not only this task but the entire project was completed without a single safety accident.
The design of the glu-lam structure also posed some interesting challenges; however, these challenges were met with inventive solutions. The formal chapel design utilized a two-story structure consisting of glu-lam beams and structural decking. This proved to be a challenge because each member of the octagon structure was supporting the other. In efforts to ensure the highest quality product and to save time, the entire structure was built on the ground and then hoisted into place. Even the seminaries came out to watch this momentous event!
In addition to these design challenges, the construction team flawlessly coordinated the installation of products imported from Spain.
