RESTORING A STRUCTURE OF HOPE
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january 15, 2014
january 15, 2014
feature
feature
TOWER OF HOPE THE TOWER OF HOPE’S CHAPEL IN THE SKY PHOTOS: CHALLENGE RODDIE
RESTORING A STRUCTURE OF HOPE THE TOWER OF HOPE ON THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS IS ABOUT TO UNDERGO A COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION by greg hardesty
I
t stands like a single exclamation point on the Christ Cathedral campus, the tallest building in Orange County when it was built in 1968. Now, the Tower of Hope – topped with a cross that, especially when illuminated at night, has been a source of comfort and consolation for millions – is set to start undergoing a major renovation, including state-of-the-art seismic upgrades and a complete interior refurbishing. “The Tower of Hope is a very important symbol in Orange County,” says Father Christopher Smith, episcopal vicar and rector of Christ Cathedral. “It has
represented hope and refuge for tens of thousands of people every year. We are honoring the legacy of those who came before us – the legacy of Christianity.” The $6.1 million renovation, part of the comprehensive remake of the former campus of the Crystal Cathedral, is set begin this month and be completed in summer 2014, said Newport Beachbased developer Rob Neal, Chairman of the Architecture and Renovation Committee for Christ Cathedral. The 13-story Tower of Hope will house staff members of Christ Cathedral Catholic Corp., which oversees the operation of
the campus, as well as staff members of the former St. Callistus Parish, which is now the Cathedral Parish. During the renovation, employees formerly housed in the Tower of Hope will work out of the Cathedral Concourse and Pastoral Center, one of two buildings that have been remodeled since the Diocese of Orange purchased the landmark 34-acre property in November 2011. Also now open, following a complete overhaul and upgrading, is the Arboretum, the original sanctuary for Crystal Cathedral founder Robert Schuller’s congregation, which is being used by parishioners of the Cathedral parish until the renovations of the former Crystal Cathedral are completed in 2016. Neal calls the Tower of Hope, designed by famed Austrian American architect Richard Neutra and his son, Dion, a unique and architecturally significant example of mid-20th century modernist design. Neal notes it was among the first commercial buildings in the U.S. to have a glass elevator with sweeping views of the outside.
And, to free up interior space, Neutra and his son took the ingenious design step of mounting the elevator and stairwell on the exterior of the building, freeing up nearly 1,650 square feet of usable space on each floor out of a footprint of 1,850, Neal says. The signature Chapel in the Sky on the top floor of the structure will be restored, as will Schuller’s office on the 12th floor, which still is available for use by him and his family. Named after the New Hope Ministry, one of the first 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines sponsored by a church in the country, the Tower of Hope will become even more stable in a seismically active area through state-of-the-art engineering, including wrapping columns in carbon-fiber mesh and installing seismic “dampers” that will act as shock absorbers in the event of an earthquake. “The building is safe now,” Neal says. “We’ll make it safer.” And, he adds, it will be built to last. “Most office buildings are designed to last 30, maybe 50 years,” Neal says, “but the Church likes to think in terms of centuries.” C
ILLUSTRATION: PAM JONES
9
january 15, 2014
january 15, 2014
feature
feature
TOWER OF HOPE THE TOWER OF HOPE’S CHAPEL IN THE SKY PHOTOS: CHALLENGE RODDIE
RESTORING A STRUCTURE OF HOPE THE TOWER OF HOPE ON THE CHRIST CATHEDRAL CAMPUS IS ABOUT TO UNDERGO A COMPREHENSIVE RENOVATION by greg hardesty
I
t stands like a single exclamation point on the Christ Cathedral campus, the tallest building in Orange County when it was built in 1968. Now, the Tower of Hope – topped with a cross that, especially when illuminated at night, has been a source of comfort and consolation for millions – is set to start undergoing a major renovation, including state-of-the-art seismic upgrades and a complete interior refurbishing. “The Tower of Hope is a very important symbol in Orange County,” says Father Christopher Smith, episcopal vicar and rector of Christ Cathedral. “It has
represented hope and refuge for tens of thousands of people every year. We are honoring the legacy of those who came before us – the legacy of Christianity.” The $6.1 million renovation, part of the comprehensive remake of the former campus of the Crystal Cathedral, is set begin this month and be completed in summer 2014, said Newport Beachbased developer Rob Neal, Chairman of the Architecture and Renovation Committee for Christ Cathedral. The 13-story Tower of Hope will house staff members of Christ Cathedral Catholic Corp., which oversees the operation of
the campus, as well as staff members of the former St. Callistus Parish, which is now the Cathedral Parish. During the renovation, employees formerly housed in the Tower of Hope will work out of the Cathedral Concourse and Pastoral Center, one of two buildings that have been remodeled since the Diocese of Orange purchased the landmark 34-acre property in November 2011. Also now open, following a complete overhaul and upgrading, is the Arboretum, the original sanctuary for Crystal Cathedral founder Robert Schuller’s congregation, which is being used by parishioners of the Cathedral parish until the renovations of the former Crystal Cathedral are completed in 2016. Neal calls the Tower of Hope, designed by famed Austrian American architect Richard Neutra and his son, Dion, a unique and architecturally significant example of mid-20th century modernist design. Neal notes it was among the first commercial buildings in the U.S. to have a glass elevator with sweeping views of the outside.
And, to free up interior space, Neutra and his son took the ingenious design step of mounting the elevator and stairwell on the exterior of the building, freeing up nearly 1,650 square feet of usable space on each floor out of a footprint of 1,850, Neal says. The signature Chapel in the Sky on the top floor of the structure will be restored, as will Schuller’s office on the 12th floor, which still is available for use by him and his family. Named after the New Hope Ministry, one of the first 24-hour suicide prevention hotlines sponsored by a church in the country, the Tower of Hope will become even more stable in a seismically active area through state-of-the-art engineering, including wrapping columns in carbon-fiber mesh and installing seismic “dampers” that will act as shock absorbers in the event of an earthquake. “The building is safe now,” Neal says. “We’ll make it safer.” And, he adds, it will be built to last. “Most office buildings are designed to last 30, maybe 50 years,” Neal says, “but the Church likes to think in terms of centuries.” C
ILLUSTRATION: PAM JONES
9
