St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church
Hazel Park, Mich.
Constantine George Pappas

A thoughtful redesign seeks intimate scale

© Justin Maconochie / Hedrich Blessing

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church was built in 1955. Originally, it seated 1,100 persons and was designed with a traditional center aisle and altar placed at the far end of central axis of the church, a common design in churches built with pre-Vatican II principles in mind. In the early 1960's, Vatican II doctrines mandated liturgical changes to any space once a renovation was to occur and by the 1990's, the local community had diminished to an average attendance of about 350. The renovation of the church was an effort to bring life and activity back into a smaller but committed community.

This was accomplished by creating a "church within a church." The new church is defined by an aluminum and wood ring suspended from the existing structure above. It contains new indirect lighting and a new sound system. Existing trusses were repainted a light color to reflect the indirect lighting and existing windows were replaced to increase natural light.

Areas not used for seating allowed the designer to create an overflow/gathering area and a daily mass area, previously nonexistent in the plan. The new floor plan changes centralized the altar platform, the ambo, and new baptismal font along the center axis of the church. These changes allow community members a more intimate experience of the liturgical ritual.

Formal name of Project:
St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church

Location:
Hazel Park, Mich.

Size:
7,000 sq ft

Cost:
$642,000

Owner:
Archdiocese of Detroit

Architect's firm:
Constantine George Pappas AIA
Architecture/ Planning
560 Kirts Blvd. Ste 116
Troy, Michigan 48084
1.248.244.8998 fax 1.248.244.9021