BOSTON – Kaplan Construction announced that it is renovating St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Brookline, Mass., a family-oriented church founded in 1849.
Serving as construction manager, Kaplan will oversee interior and exterior renovations to the existing church, including reconstructing the Children’s Education space to accommodate additional Sunday School and youth programming.
Designed by the architectural team of studioMLA, Brookline, Mass. and David L. King Architects, Boston, Mass., most of the project involves the transformation of 2,500 SF located on the lower level of the Parish Hall. The reconfigured space will include the addition of new bathrooms, multiple classrooms equipped with kitchenettes, and a dedicated office for child care staff. David L. King Architects helped to develop the exterior in a manner that was complementary to the original building, and studioMLA’s interiors team integrated fun light fixtures, colorful accent walls, and new flooring to modernize the space while protecting its historic character.
Original Watercolor by the Architect, Richard Upjon 1852 in possesion of Hobart Upjon.
Exterior improvements include creating an outdoor play area, garden terraces, and a new storm water management system. Providing direct access to a new outdoor play area, studioMLA’s landscape architecture group designed a separate entrance for the lower level and a new paved pathway that connects the vestibule with a classroom. New, larger windows will be installed in the lower level to welcome more natural light. Improvements to other areas of the Church and Parish Hall include a new accessible ramp per ADA standards, mechanical system upgrades throughout all offices, and new finishes to rejuvenate the building.
“Kaplan’s expertise and impressive resume of building both houses of worship and child care centers throughout Greater Boston were key factors in their selection,” said Reverend Jeffrey Mello, rector at St. Paul’s. “They were instrumental in helping us refine the project scope and prioritize budget allocations and have thoughtfully and thoroughly developed a strategic plan to guide the renovations.”
Additional project team members include Garcia, Galuska & DeSousa for MEP engineering and Roome & Guarracino for structural engineering. The project is expected to be complete in Summer of 2018.
