• St Mary Church

St. Mary Church and School

Cincinnati, Ohio

St. Mary Parish is located on a small corner site in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Cincinnati. A courtyard, featuring a grotto populated by a grove of crabapple trees, provided the only green space on the campus and separated the church from the school building.

The project consisted of five parts:

• An addition to and remodeling of the 450-student Pre-K through 8th grade school
• An elevator / stair addition to the Church providing an interior connection to the Undercroft
• A more welcoming Undercroft with direct outdoor access
• A sunken central courtyard accommodating the grotto and providing much-needed ADA access to both school and church buildings
• Improved civic presence along Erie Avenue

An addition to the school was only possible by occupying part of the courtyard and the front of the venerable school building. The entrance into the addition aligned with the old entrance, under the bell tower and a landmark in the neighborhood. The addition included a new lobby, school offices, two kindergarten classrooms, a library and the computer lab, a new central staircase with skylight, and an elevator.

A freestanding elevator and stair tower addition was placed on the east side of the church. A glass-enclosed bridge connected this addition to the narthex and provided the separation required to preserve the daylighting of the stained glass windows in the nave. The glass enclosed stair tower provides daylight and views to parishioners as they transition between the church and undercroft. Salvaged stone from the church was used in the construction of the elevator tower.

The dark, below-grade Undercroft was renovated into a naturally lit and welcoming Parish Hall. Existing window wells were removed, sills were lowered and new openings created, providing access and views into the courtyard and grotto on the west side and to Shady Lane on the east side.

The lowered courtyard greatly improved circulation between the school and the undercroft, while providing a quiet area for the grotto. Broad steps up to the sidewalk provide opportunity for gathering and the school’s class photos. A line of ginko trees were placed along a broad, civic plaza that engages the main steps of the church facing Erie Avenue.