Baptist Temple was a stagnant building in a rapidly modernizing portion of
Houston. While the congregation had been large in the 60’s, they now needed to
consolidate. The design blended the church’s traditional approach with the more
contemporary neighborhood they found themselves in.
The sanctuary was flipped and part of the second floor was cut out to allow for
great volume. Now when entering you find an open lobby greeting you rather than
narrow stairs forcing you to go down to the basement or up into a hallway. We saved
some of the stained glass windows from a previous building and used those in the
sanctuary wall framing the baptistery. In the lobby, contemporary punched windows give
a more vibrant feel along with the stained concrete floor.