Our Work › Church Design › Hales Corners Lutheran Church & School

Church Design

Hales Corners Lutheran Church and School, in Hales Corners, Wisconsin articulates the church facade to highlight the large cross

Location:
Hales Corners, WI

Scope:
Provided master planning services that developed a three phase plan including a 12,000 sq. ft. renovation of the church and school (Phase 1), a new gymnasium (Pase 2), and a new 35,000 sq. ft. preschool, primary school, and chapel addition

External Team:

Reichl Construction, Inc

Studio:

Church Design

Internal Team:

Hales Corners Lutheran Church & School

Hales Corners, WI

To meet the needs of their growing congregation, Hales Corners Lutheran Church and School hired PRA to develop a twenty-year multi-phase master plan. Phase One, completed in 2004, included expanded parking, a 12,000 sq. ft. renovation to the church and school administrative offices and a new 6th-8th grade middle school addition to the existing church. The school addition also included a computer room, youth room, and dedicated classrooms for music, art, band, and science.

Phase Two of the master plan commenced in the spring of 2005, after the completion of Phase One, and included a new gymnasium with an elevated running track, fitness center, and locker rooms that are open to the students, as well as the congregation. The new gymnasium, complete with a lobby, concessions, and restrooms, has a separate entrance and can be secured from the school. Phases One and Two added 59,500 sq. ft. of new space to the existing church.

In 2017 the congregation was ready to proceed with Phase Three of the master plan. Phase Three included 4,800 sq. ft. of renovations to the school to create a 4K classroom, mechanical room, and egress stair to make ready for the new two-story 36,500 sq. ft. preschool, primary school, and chapel addition. The five-room preschool serves toddlers through age 3 and has its own dedicated secure entrance and reception. The primary school serves grades K4 through 5th and has a separate secure entrance, reception, and administrative offices that now also serve the middle school. An important feature of the Phase Three building is the new chapel, with its two-story volume and balcony. The space is used for worship by students and accommodates small weddings, funerals, and services throughout the week. The chapel, with its large elevated platform, lighting, and sound system, also serves as a performance space for the school children.

Phase Four of the master plan is currently in the schematic design phase and includes a canopy addition at the main entrance to the church narthex, improvements to the bell tower, remodeling of the sacristy, and renovating church offices, board room, and meeting rooms.

As Hales Corners Lutheran Church and School near the completion of their twenty-year master plan in 2022, it is important to highlight the value of following a well-thought-out master plan in the physical and spiritual growth of a congregation. By consolidating the preschool, primary school, and middle school on the same site as the existing church, many operational and cost efficiencies have been achieved, allowing more church resources to go toward expanding the church’s mission.