ST. VIRGILIUS

LOCATION: BROAD CHANNEL, NY
SIZE:  6000 SF

Nestled in a small residential corner of Broad Channel, Queens sits St. Virgilius Church and Parish, a proud fixture of the community for nearly a century. In October 2012, Broad Channel, along with many coastal communities in the New York City area, dealt with the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy. St. Virgilius Church along with their two parish halls sustained flooding, standing water damage, wind damage and damage from wind driven rain. The church has since been repaired and restored, however the two parish halls – located at lower elevations, could not be salvaged. Tobin Parnes presented existing building flood damage assessments, a comprehensive feasibility report, and a design package to a group of Parish Leaders, Diocese representatives, the project management team, and members of the community.

During the initial stages of design, TPD Architecture received pre-approval from the NYC Building Department to utilize a section of the zoning ordinance, which allows buildings damaged as a result of Hurricane Sandy to be built back in their original location without incorporating current zoning restrictions. TPDA showed proof that by combining the two existing buildings into one new building, it could provide the parish with better site utilization, improve the non-compliant zoning conditions, and fully comply with all life safety and accessibility requirements. The successful pre-approval yielded an increased site utilization of more than 10% and an increased building footprint of 1,550 SF.

Approaching the existing parish campus today, visitors may be hard-pressed to determine which building is the Church. There are two buildings of equal height, form and material; If not for the bell tower and cross, the two buildings are practically indistinguishable. TPDA’s task was to design a new parish hall that meets all of the programmatic, design, aesthetic and material requirements of the parish; but of equal if not greater importance was to design a new building that gives prominence to the Church. St. Virgilius Church understands their importance to the community and incorporated spaces that may not be utilized on a daily basis, but will be there for their neighbors at times of need. A place to take a hot shower, wash your clothing, or a quiet room to make a phone call can be difference making to residents of Broad Channel, many of whom had nowhere else to turn in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. St. Virgilius Church and their new parish hall plan to be a beacon to their community during good times and bad, for at least another century.