Christ Church Cathedral
Large Project (over 25,000 sf)
A renovation and addition to a historic Nashville cathedral, introducing contemporary spaces for worship, fellowship, and outreach while extending and respecting the original architectural language.
Project Statement
Christ Church Cathedral’s expansion reimagines the relationship between historic sacred architecture and contemporary community life. Located in downtown Nashville, the project renovates existing worship and support spaces while introducing a new addition that accommodates fellowship, youth, and outreach programs.
Rather than replicating the Victorian Gothic language of the original cathedral, the design establishes a dialogue between old and new through proportion, rhythm, and light. The historic structure, defined by weight and inward-focused illumination, is complemented by an addition that emphasizes transparency, openness, and engagement with the city. Layered facades composed of perforated metal and glass reinterpret the tripartite order of the sanctuary’s reredos, translating liturgical hierarchy into a contemporary architectural expression. By day, the building appears textured and restrained; by night, it transforms into a lantern supporting the cathedral’s outreach mission.
A new entry hall serves as both a physical and symbolic threshold, connecting past and present. Carefully introduced openings in the historic stone walls align with existing rhythms, preserving the integrity of the original structure while enabling new circulation. Within the addition, the fellowship hall forms a gabled volume shaped by filtered light and structural rhythm, recalling the spatial qualities of the sanctuary in a more open and communal setting.
Through measured contrast and continuity, the project extends the cathedral’s architectural legacy, creating spaces that support worship, gathering, and service within an evolving urban context.
Framework for Design Excellence Narrative
Integration \n The addition establishes a dialogue with the historic Cathedral through proportion, rhythm, material, and light rather than imitation. Gabled forms, tripartite ordering, and patterns derived from the sanctuary are reinterpreted through contemporary construction, integrating architectural identity with new spaces for fellowship, youth, outreach, and accessible circulation.
Equitable Communities \n The project strengthens the Cathedral’s role as social infrastructure in downtown Nashville. A new accessible west entrance and improved circulation remove barriers within the historic campus, while Fellowship, Youth, and Outreach spaces expand opportunities for gathering and service. Room at the Inn is integrated into these spaces, extending hospitality beyond the congregation to the broader community.
Discovery \n The perforated façade emerged through iterative design and fabrication. An initial concept layering two standard perforated panels created a rosette geometry inspired by the Cathedral. Curtain-wall constraints prompted collaboration with a local fabricator, transforming the concept into a custom laser-cut aluminum screen that integrates symbolism, constructability, maintenance, and daylight modulation.
Well-being \n Light shapes the experience of the addition. Glazing brings daylight into gathering, youth, outreach, and circulation spaces, while perforated screens filter direct sun and animate interiors with changing patterns of light and shadow. Openness, intuitive circulation, and visual connections replace previously inward-facing spaces with environments supporting gathering, belonging, and connection.
LEED/Green Certifications
Price/sq. ft. if provided
n/a
Photo Captions
Photo credits / caption slide 2: Aerial view depicting the various years of additions and renovations that have taken place on the church. Photo by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 3: Floor plans noting existing, renovation, and new addition elements. Diagrams by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 4: Custom perforated metal panels layered with glass produce a building that shifts in character across time of day. Photos by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 5: The new Entry Hall serves as the physical and symbolic bridge between old and new – conceived as a transparent extension. Photos by Corey Gaffer. Diagram by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 6: The Entry Hall. Photo by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 7: The trilogy was a key inspiration for the new addition that came from the composition of the Reredos located within the chancel of the existing sanctuary. Photo by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 8: The gabled geometry of the new addition is directly derived from the profiles of the historic sanctuary and side chapels. Photo by Corey Gaffer. Diagram by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 9: The Fellowship Hall provides a place of assembly shaped by light, proportion, and layered transparency. Photo by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 10: Two standard perforated panels are rotated and layered to produce a rosette pattern on the custom metal screens. Photo by Corey Gaffer. Diagram by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 11: The layered pattern developed in the façade is translated into a custom screen system integrated in to the curtain wall. Photo by Corey Gaffer. Diagrams by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 12: Series of circulation moments throughout the new addition. Photos by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 13: The new addition brings the youth program to the main campus and strengthens the church’s urban outreach mission. Photo by Corey Gaffer. Diagram by architect.
Photo credits / caption slide 14: The perforated screens play an integral role in shaping the experience of light, diffusing the low afternoon sun as it sets and animating the circulation space with shifting patterns of shadow and illumination. Photos by Corey Gaffer.
Photo credits / caption slide 15: Night view depicting the interior glow through the transparent screens along the 9th Avenue elevation. Photo by Corey Gaffer.
