Additions, Historic Preservation

Christ church

Christ Church, located at 561 Springfield Avenue in Summit, New Jersey was built in the early 1900s and is a non-denominational old English Country Gothic style Church. In the 1960s, a nondescript addition was added that contained classrooms, meeting rooms, and offices. Because of increased program activities and the expanding congregation, the Church saw an opportunity to construct a new space while addressing the lackluster appearance of the previous addition. The building committee, with its tongue in cheek moniker the de-uglification committee,selected the architects Ford, Farewell, Mills, and Gatsch to address these issues and create a beautiful solution that would meet all of the congregations needs. Inspired by the architecture of medieval fortifications, architect Jerry Ford created an addition that recalled the walls that enclosed the ancient hill towns of France and Italy. Turrets were connected by lower masonry curtain walls topped with tall windows, mimicking the appearance of the walkways of defensive walls. These window walls provide natural light, ventilation, and a view of the church to the addition's classrooms. A broad enclosed connector joins the two buildings and serves as an entrance that provides an interior space for the social interaction that proceeds and follows the main building services. 

A Project by FFMG