Archdiocese Of Baltimore
Hunt Valley, MD

Ayers/Saint/Gross designed the St. Francis Xavier Church on a farm site in Hunt Valley, north of Baltimore. The 23-acre site commands an expansive view of the surrounding countryside. The design required extensive interaction with neighbors and zoning officials who were concerned with maintaining the rural character of the area. In response, the design team retained the existing farmhouse, placed the chapel where the barn once was, and designed the larger sanctuary to fit with the scale and character of the site.

The new facility includes a sanctuary with seating for 650, chapel to seat 100, narthex, gathering space with adjacent kitchen, exterior terrace, choir room, sacristy and vesting sacristy. The sanctuary design includes a baptismal pool and font, as well as an organ. A lower level is comprised of a multipurpose room, library, bookstore, meeting rooms, a nursery and classrooms. The exterior massing and materials were designed as a contextual response to other barns and structures in the area.

New parking areas were designed to respond to the sloping contours of the site and to minimize their visual impact. Site lighting and landscaping also were provided. Church offices are located in a renovated farmhouse on the site.

Completion: 1997
Size: 28,000 GSF
Cost: $3,828,000