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We are officially under construction. We received our Building Permit from the City of Birmingham on November 11, 2002.
The Christian Life Center building site looking east.
Looking down at the spot where the garage once stood. The new garage will be an integral part of the Christian Life Center.
Looking south on the site towards the new south parking lot.
The top soil first has to be removed before our new south parking lot can be graded and filled.
Looking east across our new south parking lot. When complete in mid-December, it will give us 57 additional parking spaces. Please be patient.
December 12 , 2002
Below are photos of the construction of the Christian Life Center.
Welcome to the new South parking lot.
This entrance will lead you to 57 new parking spaces..
This is the new south parking lot looking east from the Pleasant Street Parsonage. It is striped and ready to use. A final 1 1/2" topping of asphalt will be laid in the spring.
By Birmingham City Code we have to construct a 32" high masonry screen wall. This wall will run down the east side of the parking lot and then west along the south boundary of the new south parking lot. This photo shows the foundation for the screen wall.
This is Auch Superintendent, Scott Jacobs, standing next to a completed section of screen wall. The wall is constructed under a heated plastic tent because of the cold.
This photo shows the foundation for the south end of the CLC. Each steel reinforcing bar is topped with a orange plastic cap to protect the workers.
This photo shows where the southeast entrance to the church used to be. The entrance was removed to allow the CLC to be constructed.
December 15, 2002
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After a slow start (occasioned by permit issues), much of the preliminary site work has been completed. Footings have been poured. The 32-inch perimeter site wall is under construction. And by the time you read this, the south parking lot should have a layer of asphalt over it. Every expectation is that we will be able to park on it this coming Sunday (even though a final asphalt layer won't be added until spring). Watch the parking lot attendants for direction. Assuming that the new lot is open, we will discontinue the Sunday morning shuttle to Quarton Market. Sure, you can still park there. But we were transporting fewer and fewer passengers from there. Apparently, most latecomers have found favorable spots on the lawn.
Bill Ritter
Cover letter from the December 15 issue of Steeple Notes |
December 29, 2002
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Many of you have found the new parking lot. Taek Kim says he'll provide hot dogs and hot chocolate on cold mornings. Meanwhile, all the footings for the building are in, the perimeter wall is nearly complete, and steel is slated to arrive in early January. We also anticipate the rest of the bids by the time these words appear in your mailbox.
Bill Ritter
Cover letter from the December 29 issue of Steeple Notes |
February 7, 2003
Below are photos of the construction of the Christian Life Center.
The Steel Goes Up
February 16, 2003
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Following several weeks of site preparation close to the ground, we are now watching huge steel girders being bolted into place. The shipment of steel arrived on Monday, February 3. By mid-afternoon, the overhead crane was lifting girder after girder, allowing us to see the outlines of a building take shape. The "steel phase" will last approximately six weeks. Then things will really begin to roll.
It was a pleasant surprise to learn that the building is proceeding ahead of schedule. Although few of us can remember a construction project that ever finished exactly on time, present projections call for the Christian Life Center to be completed (or "closed out," as they say in the construction business) during the first week of October.
All of which means that we are spending what you would call "serious money." Fortunately, we had received over $4 million of our $5.6 million pledge base by the end of 2002. But every dollar received in a timely manner enhances the prospect that we can pay for the building without any need for interim financing.
From the February 16 issue of Steeple Notes |
April 2, 2003
Below are photos of the construction of the Christian Life Center.
This is the CLC as seen from the parking lot looking north.
This shows the masonry block on the twin peaks before they are covered with brick.
These peaks are visible from Maple Road.
This photo was taken in the Multipurpose Room on the 1st floor looking north west.
Notice the children's playground and existing church in the background.
This photo was taken from the 2nd floor looking south.
It shows a section of the walking track.
This is a view of the Multipurpose Room looking south taken from the 2nd floor.
This photo shows some of the room trusses.
A section of the walking track on the 2nd floor is visible below.
This is a view of the West Entrance.
The area visible on the 2nd floor is the Lounge
April 29, 2003
Below are photos of the construction of the Christian Life Center.
The first photo was taken looking northeast. It shows the west entrance and
south end of the CLC.You can see the concrete block being laid for the walls
The block will be covered by brick.
This photo was taken from the north looking south. It shows the twin peaks that can
be seen from Maple Rd. The peak on the left is covered with concrete block.
The peak on the right has the finished brick laid over the block.
This photo, taken looking northeast, shows a section of the CLC in the foreground
covered with new brick. In the background is the existing east wing of the church
showing the existing brick . The new brick matches the old very well.
This is a photo taken looking northeast from the second floor showing the newly
poured first floor. In the background on the second floor are 2 large meeting rooms.
This photo shows the carpenters in the process of lifting the
sandwich-construction roof panels into place.
This photo shows a close-up of the sandwich-construction roof panels.
Both outer layers are 1/2" thick particle board.
Sandwiched between the particle board is 4" of Styrofoam insulation.
These panels are 8' x 16' long and are laid right on top of the roof trusses.
This photo shows the entire roof structure. In the upper left-hand corner you
can see the bare metal roof trusses. Next to the roof trusses you can see the
sandwich-construction roof panels laid over the trusses. The tar paper is then
laid over the roof panels as a vapor barrier.
This photo shows a mockup of the roof showing the slate tiles, copper flashing
and copper gutters. The slate is laid directly over the tar paper.
June 14, 2003
Below are photos of the construction of the Christian Life Center.
Architect Kevin Marshall, at right, in the boiler room as
he leads a tour through the Christian Life Center.
Taken from the second floor track looking back toward the
existing building. On the lower level, the main reception/entry area
can be seen at the left. On the right is the ramp in the hallway connecting
the Christian Life Center to the classroom area in the existing building.
The recessed area shown can be used as the focal point of a worship service
or to set up the church's portable stage for some other function.
The large windows and cathedral ceiling can be seen in the
second floor large meeting room.
June 22, 2003
People who qualify as gourmands tell me that one of the ways you can distinguish a basic brunch from a better brunch is the presence of an omelet station. My wife loves omelets made to order. As for me, I can pass right by the "egg stuff" in search of the carving station. Truth be told, the only eggs I eat are scrambled. And if heaven lives up to its promises, somebody will mix in a few morel mushrooms three or four days a week. I don't know who coined the phrase, "You can't make an omelet without first breaking eggs," but the implication is obvious. On the way to something delectable, one may have to endure some destruction. Which occurred to me a few days ago when our construction crew began jack hammering the asphalt in a couple of sections of our parking lot. So let me offer an update.
As concerns the turnaround driveway, it disappeared while most of us were planting flowers on somebody's grave for Memorial Day. But it will reappear within two or three weeks of reading this epistle. So what's happening out there? We are adding eight new handicapped parking places. That's what's happening. In fact, by the time you read this, there will be a base of crushed stone, which will be followed by curbing and sidewalks, then asphalt and decorative greenery. Shortly thereafter, you should see the same results along the east driveway.
As for the trench that has been cut from the new building to Pleasant Street, that asphalt has been destroyed to accommodate a new water line. Now that the city of Birmingham has installed a major conduit for water along Pleasant Street, they want us to tap into it (at least to satisfy the needs of the Christian Life Center). Even as I write, the pipes are being laid. And we have every expectation that no parking space will be surrendered, even for a single Sunday. But, for a few weeks, the path of the water line will be visible, albeit not unsightly. Our construction manager, Scott Jacobs, has been incredibly cooperative with us, relative to blending his work with ours. When we had to close the popular Pleasant Street parking area for a few days, Scott made sure that the work took place after the weekday nursery program ended and before Vacation Bible School began. Believe it or not, we really do discuss these things together.
As for the building itself, masonry continues, with many marveling about the compatible color match between new bricks and old bricks. Moreover, the slate roof is not only functional, but beautiful. All interior brick and block work is complete and we are not that many days removed from welcoming the drywallers. Having donned my own personal hard hat for several walkthroughs, I keep coming back to the word "amazing" as the best adjective I can offer.
Meanwhile, Sue Chrostek and Patty Zikakis will begin working for us in July, helping us anticipate needs, coordinate wish lists, identify equipment, while dreaming about new initiatives in ministry. Already, they have been doing a lot of conversing with staff members and group leaders, an enterprise marked by careful listening. Toward that end, you will soon receive an informational survey from them, relative to the kinds of things that might interest you. Thanks to a hardworking staff, we will not open the doors to a new facility sometime in December and then have to ask: "Now what shall we do with it?"
From the June 22 issue of Steeple Notes |
July 13, 2003
By July 16 we will have eight new paved parking places on the east side driveway and eight additional parking places on the circular drive, entering off Pleasant. Meanwhile, stone and glass are being added to the façade of the Christian Life Center and a host of unseen changes are taking place inside. The wait will soon be over.
From the July 13 issue of Steeple Notes |
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 July 17, 2003
Dear First Church Friends,
As a seminary student, I earned money for school by giving tours of the Rouge Plant for the Ford Motor Company. While it was a wonderful job that provided great summer income, I thought my days as a "tour director" were done when I entered the ministry. Surprisingly, those days have returned. I now give fairly frequent tours of our new Christian Life Center, slipping the curious into the building during lunch hours. I even have a hard hat with my name on it and am on a first name basis with members of the crew.
My most recent group of visitors were members of Keystone, some of whom have histories at First Church that exceed fifty years. It was an incredible experience to see the building through their eyes. For the very first time, they understood that our new space would be as comfortable for 80 year olds as for 18 year olds. They could see themselves doing something in every room, even as one of them wondered how soon she could begin walking the track (15 laps to the mile). As people have experienced the building first hand, many have shared their impressions via notes and emails. To a person, each has been overwhelmed. The building is more than they expected … better than they expected … more attractive than they expected … and more imaginatively conceived than they expected. The word "wow" appears over and over again, followed by the word "amazing." One of them wrote, "it is amazing to see what can happen when hopes and dreams meet concrete and steel." Another noted that "the entire space is very bright, with a wonderful feeling of openness and spaciousness." A third added, "being inside feels like being outside." A fourth commented, "after seeing the CLC….it's like a birth. The building already has a heartbeat." Still another opined, "everyone involved in the process is due a huge thank you." While yet another said, "after seeing it on Saturday, I am very proud of what is being developed." And among the more intriguing comments was this: "Having been a part of the design from the very beginning, I know what flooring goes where and what furniture and fabric will fill the various spaces. But walking through the building, I was not prepared for the upward sense that one gets. The building feels three dimensional and alive."
I could go on. But I would rather let your comments write future chapters. Which I think they will … once you see it. Toward that end, we will try to get more and more of you through the doors, allowing for the constraints of construction schedules and liability concerns. And were you to drop by before lunch on a weekday, one of us can slip you in between 12:00 and 12:30. Things are changing weekly. We maintain a construction schedule that calls for occupancy in the vicinity of Thanksgiving. Charge Conference and Advent by Candlelight are just a couple of the early December events scheduled for "our new digs."
One of my concerns is to give you an accurate financial update, as of June 30. Since the timing seems right, let me share the following.
- As of June 30, 2003, we have received $4,936,418 in receipts. This amount includes pledge payments, one-time gifts, special recognitions, designated memorials and interest income. Yes, you read that number correctly. We have nearly five million dollars in hand.
- As of June 30, we have spent $3,106,005, leaving a cash balance of $1,830,414.
- Lest our balance promote over-confidence, you should know that money is literally flying out the door during the present phase of construction. Our June payments to contractors totaled $835,000.
- Were income to slow dramatically (and payments continue at their projected rate), we would be out of money in early September.
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