How do you fit an event space for 150 people, six classrooms, and a full-size catering kitchen between a church and a parish house while meeting floodplain and wetlands restrictions (a river borders one edge of the property,) registered historic district requirements, and multiple easements? With ingenuity and not too many parallel lines.
![Street (east side) facade of the new Fellowship Hall & Classroom Building, Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012. Click images to enlarge.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0022.jpg)
![New building with historic church and the South Branch of the Raritan River just beyond. McAuliffe + Carroll Architects. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0008_comp.jpg)
![East side classroom wing. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0034.jpg)
![](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0043.jpg)
![West end (back) classroom with view to the north of Schooleys Mountain. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0078.jpg)
![Fellowship Hall as seen from the ramp which runs into the historic building housing church offices. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0095_comp.jpg)
![Steps from the event space up the ramp. Looking east to Schooleys Mountain Road. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0106_comp.jpg)
![](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0113.jpg)
![Event space at dusk. Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0128_0129.jpg)
![Exterior view of Fellowship Hall (event space) with connected historic building to the left, the church in the background, and the west wing to the right (classroom above, kitchen below.) Long Valley, NJ. June, 2012.](http://blog.jonroemer.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/jrp1227_0132_v4.jpg)
The restrictions, requirements and easements mentioned up top forced the plan into an overall triangular shape but McAuliffe + Carroll was able to keep the feel of project’s exterior to a compound of three smaller buildings. Two of these (east and west wings) match the local houses in size and silhouette. The third with its long stone front echoes the feel of nearby historic ruins as well as some of the inns, mills, and larger buildings native to the area.
Inside, as you can see from the photos above, it feels as one – a large interconnected space, with an easy flow from the event hall to the classrooms and to the parish house. There are no real wings per se. McAuliffe + Carroll’s signature use of color and form is seen throughout keeping the interior feeling fresh and contemporary.
McAuliffe + Carroll Architects (they also did my new studio, and two renovations to our house; backyard and main floor/entrance.)
Thanks for the post, Jon. As usual, your shots look terrific!
Just beautiful. McAuliffe + Carroll Architects do amazing work!