A concept drawing of a renovated sanctuary at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church in Whitehall.
Recently, I received this letter from Fr. Michael Flannery, pastor of Our Lady of Hope Roman Catholic Church in Whitehall and the Chapel of the Assumption in Huletts Landing. Fr. Flannery is proposing a renovation of Our Lady of Hope Church which will include painting the inside of the church, replacing the floor and re-finishing the pews. To undertake this work, he is proposing a special capital campaign.
On the afternoon of Sunday, June 27th, Fr. Flannery introduced interior designer, John Pierce, who presented his concept drawings of a renovated church to about 100 parishioners. Mr. Pierce has redesigned and renovated over 40 churches throughout the northeast.
“Our Lady of Hope Church is Classic American Gothic Revival architecture,” began Mr. Pierce. “It’s a beautiful church that needs its architecture brought out.” He presented two sets of drawings; side / flat view and perspective / 3D view. In the drawings, the pews and stain glass windows are not shown. “We’re not getting rid of the stain glass windows or pews. They’re just not shown in my sketches.”
Mr. Pierce started by explaining that the current sky blue color of the painted walls would be changed and a “framework” would be painted around the windows to accentuate the architecture. A marble floor would be put in place on the altar and the existing carpet would be removed and a tile floor would be installed in the church.
After Mr. Pierce presented his drawings and proposal, Fr. Flannery discussed the price tag. “The total for the entire work would be $250,000”, stated Fr. Flannery. “The painting of the walls and sanctuary is approximately $115,000, the tile floor is about $75,000, and the other things would make up the difference. The church will need to undertake a special capital campaign to raise the amount. The work would take about 4-6 weeks and the mass schedule would be moved downstairs to the parish center while work was being done.”
Fr. Flannery took questions before adjourning the meeting. He stated that he welcomes opinions, support and encouragement as he plans to present the ideas generated to the entire church community in the weeks ahead. He can be reached at:
Rev. Michael Flannery
Our Lady of Hope
9 Wheeler Avenue
Whitehall, NY 12887
518-499-1656