LANDENBERG

When we received a call looking for a design team to reinvent a wooden clapboard rural church in Landenberg PA, we were grateful to have the opportunity to keep another sacred space alive.

The Landenberg church did have one previous resident, the artist Bernie Felch, whom had made the building a fantastical artists salon and his family home in the 1970’s. The property consists of rolling hills with fields, old growth trees, and many out buildings including a barn, carpentry studio, greenhouse and potting shed. Each of these structures more charming than the next. The property is also studded with handmade ceramic tiles and sculptures made by Felch.

We located the kitchen in the center nave. When our clients, Esther and Angus, suggested building a catwalk above the main room we could see integration of old and new coming together in perfect balance. The Indian Queen Lane (Studio IQL) church and the Landenberg church both had over 22 foot ceilings in the main sanctuaries. In both projects, in certain areas, we opted to gain square footage by taking advantage of the ceiling height by making mezzanine spaces worth over 8 foot ceilings. This also allows more intimate and enclosed spaces within the large open sanctuary. 

Churches are often very symmetrical. Both Landenberg and IQL were no exception. Locating stairs then becomes a challenge to compliment the structural balance. The owner’s bedroom is now located in what was the choir loft. It has tall interior windows that face two stories of glass at the back of the building. The third floor has a bunk room and guest suite.

Stay tuned as the story evolves throughout the completion of this project.