Christ Episcopal Church

WM2A Architects worked with Sheridan Construction to renovate the existing 1850 church. This renovation was accomplished largely in the year 2000 to mark the 175th anniversary of the founding of Christ Church.

As a part of the renovation, the organ was relocated to the gallery (rear balcony) of the church and the choir was moved there as well. The baptismal font was relocated to the entrance of the church and a ceramic tile floor was installed at the entrance area. The chancel received a similar tile floor and the chancel furniture was reworked so that the priest could celebrate communion from behind the altar, facing the congregation. The pews were removed, reconditioned, refinished, and reinstalled. Existing woodwork was repaired in-place and then refinished.

A major feature of the renovation involved the installation of a new tracker organ in the gallery. The two manual, thirty stop organ was constructed by C.B. Fisk Inc., located in Boston, MA. WM2A worked closely with C.B. Fisk Inc. on the visual design of the organ. WM2A Architects also worked with structural consultants to reinforce the existing gallery so that it could support the new organ.

During the renovation, it was discovered that the existing plaster walls of the church had featured extensive stenciling. This had been painted over during the years. The church decided to restore this stenciling. New stencils were made matching the original patterns. The colors selected for the stencils match those used as accents on the woodwork of the new organ.