Evangel Christian School - Long Island City, New York
By: Jennifer Walker - Journey

In the early 1990s, architect Lawrence T. Hord, Jr., founder of Hord Architects in Memphis, Tennessee, was hired by Evangel Church in Long Island City, New York, to add on to its complex.

The church had recently purchased 1.5 acres of land in the Queens Plaza area of town and moved its complex, including its Evangel Christian School, to the new location. The property included a 1920s-era public school building that was renovated and expanded to accommodate the substantial growth of both the church congregation and school. The $2 million expansion took two years to complete. But it needed more room.

"The school is a major aspect of the church ministry," said Lawrence Hord's son, Carter. "It's a remarkable school in the middle of New York metro area and meets the needs of individuals from all backgrounds."

Lawrence Hord drew a design to reflect the progressive image of the church, said Carter Hord, who assisted with the project. Specializing in churches with more than 100 religious buildings in its portfolio, Hord Architects worked specifically to make the project well suited to the church's needs, capturing longtime Pastor Robert Johansson's vision of continued growth. This, in particular, offered a challenge to the architects, who were limited to the 200-square-foot by 800-square-foot city block of the densely populated city.

"Land is just so precious in that area," Carter Hord said.

The design included a gymnasium with one floor of classrooms above it and stretched the length of the block, connecting the older, more traditional school and gym with the more contemporary sanctuary and fellowship hall. Since there was little land on which the complex could spread out, it was designed to grow taller.

One way this was achieved was to plan as part of the project a gymnasium with massive beams across the ceiling that would accommodate not only the one planned floor of classrooms directly above it, but also be strong enough to withstand the weight of additional floors planned for the future. It was the brilliant work of Severud, a Manhattan structural engineer firm, Carter Hord said.

A five-story tower was drawn to connect the large, modern sanctuary with the school. The tower offered an open two-story vestibule. The third floor housed offices, and the fourth and fifth floors were planned for staff apartments.

Because the expansion would add classrooms and offices as well as apartments, it took five long years to get the variance that allowed Evangel Church to begin construction. During that time, Lawrence Hord passed away, and his son took over the firm.

In 1996, the church broke ground. The project took three years and $10 million to complete and added more than 55,000 square feet to the complex. It also came with an additional benefit - remarkable views of the Manhattan Island cityscape from the top floors of the tower.

Today, Evangel Christian School is New York State-chartered and provides a Christ-centered environment for academic excellence. With an enrollment of 500 students from pre-K3 to senior high school, it is the largest evangelical Christian school in the city.

Hord Architects continues to work with the school as it grows, and the plans include more vertical growth to take advantage of the sound structure of the gymnasium ceiling. The new addition would add three additional floors of classrooms and one floor of offices above the gymnasium, which would increase the size of the school by more than 21,000 square feet.

Evangel Church has made the school a priority, Carter Hord said, which is reflection of its success.

"The school is the single largest ministry of the church," he said.

Hord Architects is a second-generation architecture firm based in Memphis, Tennessee, hordarchitects.com . It designs multiple building types and specializes in churches. The firm's work spans from New York to Tennessee to Minnesota.

Fast Facts

School: Evangel Christian School

Location: Long Island City, New York

Student Body: 500

Grades Served: K3-12

Project Goal: Gymnasium and classrooms

Size: 55,000 square feet

Cost: $10 million

Challenge: Adding square footage with limited land on which to grow

Solution: Vertical expansion - building a floor of classrooms above the gymnasium and planning ahead for future growth