St. Gabriel’s Episcopal Church, located in Cherry Hills, Colorado, began as a modest single structure on a hill. The church has grown and matured with the surrounding neighborhood and after two building expansions over the course of forty years, it possesses an impressive array of facilities including a beautiful sanctuary designed in Southwest Contemporary style.

But, as often happens when institutions expand, the focus has typically been on the buildings and the congregation came to view the site as a neglected opportunity.

Parks & Gardens prepared a site master plan that orients visitors to a single entrance at the sanctuary, reconfigures site drainage to reduce winter snow and ice, creates connections from interior to outdoor facilities, and takes advantage of the mature trees located at the periphery of the site.

A gathering space at the sanctuary entrance creates a simple, elegant ‘greeting space’. The existing Columbarium will be expanded and connect to a gallery along the sanctuary to create a cloister garden. The Fellowship Hall becomes an indoor/outdoor space with a broad deck open to filtered views to the south and an outdoor classroom.

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Responses to site issues were used to generate an overall approach to the Master Plan

A sketch of the north elevation illustrates the proposed emphasis of the sanctuary

A sketch of the proposed Greeting Garden along with the existing image illustrates the removal of damaged pines, creating a simple, elegant ‘breakout space’ at the front door of the sanctuary.