St. Charles Christian Church is building a church in New Town at St. Charles, a traditional neighborhood development by Whittaker Homes off Hwy. 370 and New Town Blvd.
According to Chad Abel, trustee for St. Charles Christian Church and head of the relocation/building committee, the current place of worship is in need of improvements and it is more cost effective for the church to build a new facility. Once members researched The New Town at St. Charles development, they felt that it had much to offer its congregation.
“At New Town, St. Charles Christian Church truly can become part of people’s daily lives,” says Abel. “Residents can walk to the church and our current members can meet at the local coffee shop, making them an integral part of the community as well. With New Town being a close-knit community, it seems to promote traditional family values that are less and less present in today’s fast-paced society. This new urban development is a place where people can slow down the rush of life.”
Dr. David P. Hyatt, senior pastor of St. Charles Christian Church believed that New Town at St. Charles was a good fit for his church from the very beginning.
“We saw this new urban neighborhood as a good match and put our name in with the hope and strong vision that this was God’s will and direction for providing a presence and significant ministry in New Town as well as beginning the next chapter of St. Charles Christian Church. Thankfully, many factors have worked together to make this move and this new beginning a reality. We are very excited and thrilled to provide a Christian presence in the New Town community,” says Dr. Hyatt.
St. Charles Christian Church is being designed by New Urbanist Design, LLC of St. Charles and Peckham & Wright Architects, with head offices in Columbia, Missouri. The Church complies with the design typically found in a traditional neighborhood development (TND). In a TND environment, there are a mixture of housing types, retail, restaurants, schools and churches, all set in a walkable community with public parks and amenities. Major public buildings, such as St. Charles Christian Church, are often located at the end of a vista.
Architect Nick Peckham, AIA, says, “The exterior of this church is white neo classical design with the 65 foot steeple tower located at the corner of Hempstead Street and Rue Royale Street. The narthex entry, though classical on the outside, will have a cozy, coffee shop appeal inside to create a relaxed environment for conversation. The two-story sanctuary has a diagonal focus on the alter and baptistery, which are both located under the steeple. The first floor is planned to include offices, classrooms, storage, a kitchen and an elevator, and additional classrooms, a projection room and balcony seating are proposed for the second floor.”
St. Charles Christian Church has not only been designed with traditional architecture but also with green building features, including water-saving fixtures, recycled content construction materials and super insulation in the R-Steel wall panels, which provide twice the required amount of installation.
“The special insulation in this church will save energy and improve the acoustics of the church,” says Peckham.
Victor Barrett of New Urbanist Design, adds, “We have designed buildings for other new urbanist neighborhoods, and New Town is by far the most progressive, and of the highest quality that we have seen. New Urbanist Design’s specialty is incorporating classical design elements, historic proportions, and quality materials with updated traditional design. By working with the experienced team of Peckham & Wright and New Urbanist Design, the St. Charles Christian Church will be able to build a new landmark church in New Town within their budget.”
St. Charles Christian Church is of the Disciples of Christ denomination. The Church is currently located at 1815 Boonslick Road in the City of St. Charles. For information regarding the church, call 636-724-6788 or 636-947-1821.
Ultimately, The New Town at St. Charles, a $1 billion project, will be a thriving town with more than 4,000 residences in nine phases, with a carefully planned mix of homes in addition to a large town center and four neighborhood centers.
To reach New Town at St. Charles, take Hwy. 370 to north on New Town Blvd., 1 ? miles to the entrance on the right. The sales center is open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday – Friday and 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Saturday – Monday. For information regarding New Town, call 636-949-2700 or visit www.newtownatstcharles.com.
