The pyramid of St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church is still one of the highlights of the city’s modest skyline but it’s the structure taking shape right next to it that is getting the attention of most people these days.
Construction on a new 300 square metre addition is occurring. While it will certainly change the face of the front of the church, it will also make a significant difference on the interior as well.
“We like to think of ourselves as a community church: that we’re here to serve the community,” began Pastor Daniel Habben, explaining the reasoning behind the building program.
“The size could have continued to serve us in what we wanted and what we needed. It wasn’t the nicest looking and there was a lot of maintenance. We realized that we’re here to reach out and to share Jesus with our community.”
The addition will serve as the new Fellowship Hall complete with a fireplace room and a library, along with new office spaces and a kitchen. People entering the building will immediately notice the 1.8 metre long and 0.9 metre high rock, something that Habben describes as a gigantic boulder with water bubbling out. It will serve an important purpose as a living font – with baptismal bowl – for the 100 strong congregation.
“We believe in the power of baptism and that it does wash away sins. It offers eternal life and forgiveness. We want everyone – especially our members that walk into the church to think of their baptism and not to think in terms of ‘I was baptised’ but ‘I am baptised’. Just as that water continually flows so do the blessings from baptism.”
While that work continues, the existing sanctuary is being renovated inside the church itself. “That’s quite a bit of work.”
The building was designed by Peter Hemingway, the late English architect who is known for his striking modernist designs that play off of the flatness of the prairie landscape by incorporating steep peaks. This is probably most notable with the Muttart Conservatory, another pyramidal structure.
He twice won the Massey Medal, once for the Westmount area swimming pool (also peaked) that was formerly known as Coronation Pool but now bears his name. His name has also been given to this city’s old RCMP building that now houses the Visual Arts Studio Association, a station that is more of a squat concrete bunker, working with the Brutalist movement that he also enjoyed. The two buildings of the Central Pentecostal Tabernacle in Edmonton, one a pyramid and the other a square block, managed to use both of his favourite architectural philosophies. That was torn down several years ago despite attempts for it to receive historic protection.
The St. Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church here, however, is more Brutalist on the inside. The bare concrete walls were meant to symbolize worshipping in the catacombs, Habben explained.
“I think on paper those are pretty neat ideas but to someone who doesn’t know what a catacomb is … that’s not the first impression you’re going for. We’re going to accentuate the positive and maybe hide some of the things that have continued to receive negative comments from first time visitors as well as even our own members.”
Those comments mostly revolved around the cold and dark nature of the room. Workers will be adding insulation and drywall, plus in-floor heating, to improve those aspects. A skylight was removed also because of the risk of leaks. New electric lighting will be installed to keep things bright. The large wood beams, another prominent feature on the interior, will remain as they always have.
The peak of the building, however, will only be visible from Hebert Road, not from Stanley Drive where the front access is.
“We’re not changing that pyramid design,” he avowed.
The project is tentatively expected to be complete in March 2014 and it’s budgeted at $1.2 million.
For the time being, the congregation is holding its services at Sir George Simpson School. For more information, call the church at 780-458-5119 or visit www.saintpeterlutheran.com.
