Doors Wide Open
To Welcome and Serve Everyone
St. Michael’s is currently undertaking our largest building renovation in over a century. In keeping with our Core Values of Community, Stewardship and Diversity, we’re making our church buildings more welcoming and accessible as we enter our third century. As Mother Kate has said, “Our buildings are NOT our mission, but they house and enable our mission.”
As part of this mission of accessibility and welcome, the Renovations Project includes:
- A ramp into the church at the Amsterdam Avenue door.
- A ramp in the garden that leads to an elevator in the parish house.
- A more welcoming connection between the sanctuary and parish house.
- A new bridge between the choir room and organ loft, to replace the dangerous one we have now.
- New first-floor restrooms!
The Renovations Project will also address our century-old buildings’ pipes, electrical system, walls and windows. We’ll be updating all of the critical infrastructure of our buildings before they deteriorate further or result in floods or emergencies.
Find out all about Doors Wide Open
You can also watch an extended version (5:45) of the video here.
Click to read the full Doors Wide Open Case Statement
Doors Wide Open Update: Goodbye Green Wall, Hello New Floor and Font!
Thank you all for your patience during our floor repair process these past few weeks. Now, we can finally bid the tarp tunnel "adieu" and enjoy our new terrazzo floor. You'll…
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Doors Wide Open Update: Renovations Ramp Up: Improving Accessibility on Amsterdam
OUR RENOVATIONS continue in the loggia, the long, enclosed space to the left of our main door. To make the main entrance of the church accessible to all, we are…
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Doors Wide Open Update: Reaching New heights On the Parish Roof with Warden John Avery
OUR RENOVATIONS continue from above as our builders construct the new atrium that will connect the church and the Parish House. A glass roof will be installed to cover new, accessible…
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Doors Wide Open Update: A Look into the Elevator Shaft
THE NEW ELEVATOR shaft in our Parish House is nearly complete! We'll soon have an elevator that connects all floors of the Parish House, as well as a lovely new…
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Doors Wide Open Update: Our Campaign Has Launched
A BIG THANK YOU to all who joined us last Sunday for the official launch of the Doors Wide Open Campaign. St. Michael’s has served our community for more than…
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Doors Wide Open Update: A Peek between Our Buildings
WE'LL SOON HAVE a wonderful new connection between the Church and the Parish House, opening up the area between our buildings and replacing and the lamentable "bridge of sighs" that…
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Doors Wide Open Update: A Look Under the Parish House
MUCH OF THE renovations we're doing at St. Michael's are happening underground. In order to make the Parish House more welcoming and accessible to our congregants and our neighbors, we're…
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Renovations Project Update: Introducing Doors Wide Open
LAST SUNDAY we hosted a special forum on our renovations project—now named Doors Wide Open—which is entering a new phase. Miss the forum? Click below to watch a video where…
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Renovations Project Update: A Look Behind the Doors
IF YOU'VE BEEN to St. Michael’s recently, you’ve seen that our renovations are underway. But most of what’s happening is hidden behind protective walls. So what's going on back there?…
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Renovations Project Update: We’re Underway!
HERE we go! Renovations at St. Michael's have begun. We're so excited to enter this phase of a project years in the making. Here's what's been happening in this first…
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Renovations Project Update: We have our “GC” on board
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT decisions we need to make for our renovations project is the selection of our general contractor, or GC. This is the company that will manage…
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In December, we held a Sunday Forum about the Renovations Project. If you missed it, you can watch it here:
Gallery of Architect’s Renderings
We’re updating the critical infrastructure of St. Michael’s church buildings, including the pipes, electrical system and windows. We’re also adding an elevator to the Parish House.
A new ramp will lead through the garden to the elevator on the lower level. A glass awning over the lower entrance will make for a better-lit and more welcoming space.
A new door from the church will lead straight into the Parish House, and the space between the two buildings will become an atrium. A new bridge will connect the choir room directly to the organ loft, replacing the creaky bridge and steps.
We’re installing an ADA-compliant ramp in the loggia on Amsterdam Avenue, replacing the current steep ramp and rendering the church fully accessible to all.
