Old Meets New in a Renovation Focused on Community Connection

A Dallas church master plan transforms a once cloistered campus into one with a focus on outreach.

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Based in Dallas, Park Cities Presbyterian Church (PCPC) recently renovated and expanded its facilities with the goal of creating a more cohesive campus. This involved providing a smoother experience for members, visitors, and staff, as well as creating a more inviting environment for its surrounding community. Additionally, PCPC needed to update its infrastructure to meet its current and future ministry needs. Omniplan, a local architecture and design firm, completed the master plan for this project.

“The main goal [with this project] was welcoming people in."

Mark Holsinger, LEED AP, Director, Design Leader, Omniplan, Dallas, TX

A landlocked, urban church, PCPC is located in Dallas’ Oak Lawn neighborhood, on the border of the suburban University Park district. The church acquired several adjacent lots for the expansion, which included the construction of new children, youth, and adult ministry spaces, a grand foyer, space for a growing English as a Second Language (ESL) outreach program, and a 210-car parking garage.

“The main goal [with this project] was welcoming people in,” explains Mark Holsinger, LEED AP, director, and design leader at Omniplan. The children’s wing was moved from a lower level to the ground floor, bringing a new vibrancy with it. “We also wanted to create spaces where people can interact and have conversations, whether that’s indoors or outdoors, so that sense of community could emerge.”

Holsinger relays that PCPC’s original campus grew, little by little, from its inception in 1915. Prior to this project, the site included an existing sanctuary, a chapel, a small administration building, and an addition that was constructed in the '90s for education fellowship. Its retail buildings along Oak Lawn Avenue were used for housing youth. “It was really a bunch of pieces that were built over time from 1915 all the way to 1990,” he describes. “There were level changes between the floors, so you would have to climb up six feet [of stairs] to make the level complete. All three floors were separate [from one another]; there was no connectivity in the building.”

Opening up the design

At the heart of the main building’s interior is the grand foyer, a double-volume community lobby with a second-floor mezzanine. Holsinger explains that this was designed to open the space up and create interaction between all three floors, which makes it easier for both newcomers and those familiar with the church to find their way around the facility. “When you arrive at this lobby, you see where the children are, you see where the student ministry is, you see the adult ministry and the worship center,” he describes. “Whether you’re a longtime member or a newcomer, you can intuitively understand the campus now.” Tall ceilings and large windows let the daylight in, and smaller spaces—such as a fireplace area, a coffee station, and a welcome desk/information area—are configured to encourage people to linger and interact. “[We created] nodes throughout to activate the space so that it’s a space that people want to be in.”

“They had all of these different buildings—some were retail, some were meant for church, some were for education—and it didn’t have a common thread. Creating that sense of arrival was important.”

Mark Holsinger, LEED AP, Director, Design Leader, Omniplan, Dallas, TX

Outdoors, a central, U-shaped “town square” serves as a gathering space for both the church as well as the larger community. “Creating a seamless campus, from an exterior perspective, was very important,” Holsinger notes. “They had all of these different buildings––some were retail, some were meant for church, some were for education––and it didn’t have a common thread. Creating that sense of arrival was important.” Because PCPC is situated in a main retail area, the church has kept its commercial storefront retail space for additional community outreach.

It was also necessary to unite the old and the new. While the church’s exterior respects the neo-Gothic architecture of its original structure, Holsinger highlights its modern aesthetic as well, which is designed to appeal to younger visitors. “We were always trying to find the balance between honoring the tradition and the history of the church, while leaning towards the younger generation and opening it up,” he explains.

“Whether you’re a longtime member or a newcomer, you can intuitively understand the campus now.”

Mark Holsinger, LEED AP, Director, Design Leader, Omniplan, Dallas, TX

Understanding a church's community assets

As many traditional urban houses of worship struggle against shrinking congregations, Holsinger observes that there is a renewed focus on extending further into the community to reach more people. “For a lot of these churches, their best asset is their facilities and the land they own, and they are looking to do anything they can to invite people onto their campuses—whether it’s through recreation, or meeting space, or just a space where kids can play safely,” he says. Like the old piazzas that served as the central meeting spot in Italy, he points out, today’s churches are exploring how they can revitalize to serve as that anchor. “I think a lot of churches are coming back to that way of thinking, where the church is much more a part of the fabric of the community.”

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