park cities presbyterian church

/SACRED SPACES

Located at the corner of Oak Lawn and Wycliffe avenues, Park Cities Presbyterian Church is a 1940s postwar “Baptist Gothic” style building that rests in its locale as an integral part of the neighborhood. SHM Architects spearheaded the remodel of the already existing sanctuary and reconfiguration of the chancel area. The remodel and reconfiguration included all-new, custom-designed furnishings for the chancel and the installation of a Schoenstein & Co. pipe organ.

Additionally, SHM worked with PCPC’s renovation committee to determine the theological meaning of each piece of furniture and its placement in the worship space. The pulpit, for example, is a handcrafted structure of iron and wood. Shafts of wheat and intermittent weeds crawl up the iron legs of the bottom half, referencing the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, and various symbols of the gospel are carved into the oak top.

The end result of the renovation is that of a light, open sanctuary, rich and heavy with meaning in subtle details that proclaims the gospel even in silence.