Faith United Methodist Church – Wanatah, Indiana

Wanatah Faith United Methodist Church approached us after speaking to Michiana Lift regarding an elevator/chairlift to serve their Church.  As with many older Churches, the Church has had several additions.  The original entrance on the front of the Church is no longer used as the parking is at the rear.  The Church has a walkout basement on the back side with stairs to the main level where the sanctuary and offices are located.  The Church’s population has aged and many members are no longer able to access the Church due to the stairs.  Mr. John Coulter and Pastor Dee Miller were our contacts with the Church and the Building Trustees.  Mr. Bob Cooper was our Site Superintendent for this project.  This project was completed as a Design/Build project.  B.A. Martin Architects, P.C. served as our architectural consultant.

This project included the addition of a chairlift and the creation of a porte cochere for the drop off of Church members in inclimate weather or for Church members unable to walk from the parking lot to the doors.  To meet the needs of the Church and the budget they presented, Michiana lift recommended the use of a chairlift in lieu of a full elevator.  This saved costs while solving their access issues.

The basic floor plan was completed based on discussions with the Church and Easterday Construction.  We consulted with Michiana Lift regarding the chairlift requirements and then had plans completed by B.A. Martin Architects.  Because of the nature of this project, it was necessary to go to the State for a Plan Release.  During construction, some in-kind work was provided by the congregation, further helping them meet their budget restrictions.

DSCN2295One interesting note to this project was the discovery of an old, round, lead glass window in the attic of the Church.  It had been removed in one of the previous remodeling projects and salvaged.  This was found during our project and a change was made to include that window looking into the foyer of the Church.  The window had no original trim, so we custom made round trim and jamb extensions to complete the installation.  One of our carpenters, Dave Epley, completed this work for us in-house.

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