(click to enlarge)

his church is a landmark -- one of the oldest surviving wooden churches on Cape Breton Island. The structure, with its imposing tower, is a venerable icon along the No. 4 Provincial Highway which leads to the CBRM. The mission statement for the design study was to effectively incorporate a commodious narthex, office, hospitality room, barrier-free access, and barrier-free washroom facilities.

The proposed schematic design attempts to respect the geometry, language, and heritage of the original architecture. Consequently, the new narthex is composed of sloped-roof forms and traditional “porches” tied into the framework of the existing spire. The design seeks to resolve the requirement for significant increases in floor area, by creating a sculpted, gable-framed addition; which is subservient, in scale, to the original tower and steeply-pitched roof.

Typical of the original church, this proposal emphasizes the central doorway, pediment gable, and roundhead window motifs. In essence, the proposed design for this narthex ad-dition seeks to respect the historical and nobel architectural significance of the original church, while maintaining its humble and timeless charm, and unique sacred qualities.