Rev. Philip Major, Rector, stands in the basement of St. Paul’s, while Doug Mouncey looks up from the main floor, as the construction phase progresses.
After years of planning and fundraising, St. Paul’s Church in Syracuse broke ground in October 2023 on Open Doors — a $2.2 million capital improvement project and its largest since 1958. The four purposes of Open Doors are to:
· Develop improved space for missions;
· Increase universal access;
· Renovate its facilities to make them safe and energy efficient; and
· Preserve its beautiful, historic buildings.
Drulyk Construction began work removing hazardous materials in November 2023. Their work will include replacing the roof and repairing the masonry and windows of the Parish House; creating a new, covered, accessible church entrance from the parking lot; reducing energy consumption with improved insulation and storm windows; expanding toilet facilities especially to serve large groups attending concerts and events; creating and rebuilding an accessible entrance from Montgomery Street to the Parish House; and adding an elevator to bring full accessibility to the 10,000 square-foot second floor.
Completion of Open Doors allows St. Paul’s to enter into a unique lease agreement with A Tiny Home for Good that enables ATHFG to construct a ten-unit senior housing facility on the second floor of St. Paul’s Parish House. A Tiny Home for Good would serve three functions in this space as construction manager, landlord, and care manager. The ATHFG construction would be independently financed and would be built following the completion of Open Doors.
Among the Open Doors improvements necessary to the Tiny Home project are an accessible, grade-level street entrance and vestibule, an elevator to the second floor, window restoration and installation of storm windows, and the removal of hazardous materials, all essential infrastructural foundations for the mission and ministries to take place at St. Paul’s now and into the future.
Thanks to the efforts of a skilled, faithful group of members, St. Paul’s has already secured $817,000 in historic preservation grants from New York State’s Environmental Protection Fund, the National Fund for Sacred Places, and the New York Landmarks Conservancy’s Sacred Sites Program, as well as over $1.1 million from the current and former members of St. Paul’s and many community friends, for a total of over $1.95 million. Open Doors seeks to raise an additional $224,000 to restore and improve the historic 1909 Parish House and prepare St. Paul’s for its third century of ministry in downtown Syracuse.
You can learn much more about Open Doors and A Tiny Home for Good from the church website (stpaulsyr.org) where you can also view videos that highlight construction progress. We anticipate the Open Doors project to be completed by the end of 2024 and ATHFG would begin their work in 2025.
