This established church was experiencing rapid growth and had outgrown its aging inner-city facility. They purchased a large tract in one of Waxahachie’s most active residential areas, and from our first meeting, we felt the energy and clarity of vision from the pastor and building committee.
The design needed to reflect the church’s youthful spirit while honoring Waxahachie’s rich architectural context — a town known for its Victorian, Romanesque, and Craftsman roots. Our goal was to create something both current and timeless, rooted in the city’s identity but built for the life of this church.
The Building Program included the Sanctuary seating 868, Choir, Nursery, a large Youth area with 6 Classrooms, Library, Administration, Fellowship Hall with 275 table seating, commercial Kitchen, and a large multi-purpose Community Hall which included a game court for Awana, a church-based children and youth discipleship program that blends high-energy games with Bible teaching and scripture memorization. There was a strong emphasis on Education, with at least 4 areas with Classrooms. The total building area was 24,525 sf.
Ultimately, after Master Planning and design, the new building was smaller in a couple of Classroom areas than the old, inner-city facility. This presents an interesting principle: No matter what the priorities are for a church, a professionally designed building always produces the most cost-effective project with appreciating value.
As an example, we designed and built another project that also relocated from an old inner-city building to a large piece of property in the suburbs. The old building was 27,000 sf, and the new building is just under 17,000 sf. This Nazarene church says they have more space now than ever before at the old building, because it was designed so efficiently, customized to their particular use and operation. Also, their new efficient floor plan saved them at least $1.5M in current construction costs.
This principle is true everywhere. Bigger is not always more, and it is so rewarding to see this truth in action.
