Chapel Wall Restoration Prelude to Library Expansion By Rev. Prof.

By Robert V. Roethemeyer

Plinth. Noun. In architecture, the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Tall stone plinths are often used to add monumentality to sacred buildings. A reinforced concrete wall backfilled with earth from the hollow below forms the plinth upon which Kramer Chapel and its surrounding plaza were constructed in 1957-1958. The plinth is iconic to the campus logo, which consists of three elements: the chapel and its free-standing bell tower, both underlined by the concrete wall. The gently rolling prairie land of the Kramer farm had as its natural highpoint a little hill upon which an apple orchard was planted. The land sloped away from there into a natural hollow. That little hill became the site of the chapel, and that natural hollow was easily transformed into a little lake. The December 1958 issue of Progessive Architecture magazine captured in words the architectural vision of Eero Saarinen: As in a village of the Northern European type, the chapel is in the center, placed on the highest spot, with the other buildings grouped around this central and all-important symbol. The pitched roof seemed to give the right architectural expression to the whole complex. This sort of roof is symbolic of the North European church. By using it on all the buildings, the group was united in one spirit. By making the pitch of the roofs of the other buildings lower than the one on the chapel, the lesser buildings seemed to rise up toward the most significant one. And significant it is. Kramer Chapel rises to a height of 97 feet; its roof pitched a very steep 23.5 degrees from the vertical. The visible surface of the concrete wall carries that same steep angle and provides a plinth rising 15 feet above the lake, further heightening the effect! That effect is most dramatic when you walk down the stairs under the canopy between the administration building and the south classroom building and across the lower plaza where the lake comes right up to the edge. Then you ascend that 15 feet from lake level to chapel level! Fifty years of exposure to the elements left sections of the chapel wall heaving and other sections weeping. So, during this past June and July, every section of the wall was either replaced or repaired. Those that were replaced were rebuilt from the ground up, beginning with new foundations. Those that were repaired were chiseled back to solid concrete and filled out afresh. The whole was then given a weather-sealing topcoat, creating a monolithic appearance. The end result is cleanness in color and crispness in contour that rival the wall when it was new. The chapel wall restoration served as a prelude to the library expansion. The rock road built to provide construction access to the wall cut across the site of the library extension. Site development began with the opening of the academic year. Foundation work was underway by All Saints' Day. Concrete work on the foundations, the mechanical basement, the eastern and northern poured walls, and the western and southern lake walls should be complete by Christmas. Structural steel erection is slated to begin after Christmas. By Call Day, April 28, 2010, the building envelope should be nearing completion. In envisioning the design conceived by the Fort Wayne architectural firm of MSKTD and Associates, Inc., project architect Douglas Winicker wrote in 2007: The Library program suggests a development equal in scale to the north quadrangle. This solution would draw from the existing environment for its further design refinement. In this proposal, a more equal scale of campus development would now exist south of the Chapel. This proposed solution would strengthen the centrality of the Chapel. This also elevates the Library to more reflect its importance to the campus. By retaining its current placement in the overall campus plan, the Theological, Village and Campus Community concepts established by Saarinen can be used to enhance the project. The site borders the lake for the entire Library development. As the majority of the campus buildings are positioned away from the Lake, the design proposed draws from the Chapel plaza for its expression. The existing Library building remains adjacent to the Chapel plaza and wall. The Library front lawn to the lake is retained. The new addition then repeats the pattern of the Chapel plaza wall, lawn, plaza wall, and finally lawn. At the south end of the new Library, the site is engaged in the manner of the existing library. The library addition has two levels. The plaza level restates the north quadrangle development and provides a prominent location for the Instruction/Multimedia Room. The large lower level serves as a visual foundation for the plaza above. The large footprint to house the Library's largest collections can be developed without overwhelming the scale of the other close-in campus buildings. From the Library standpoint, this layout provides the significant advantage of one large area on one level for future flexibility. The poured-in-place lake wall and the pre-fabricated plaza edge with its railing work together to cut that same steep 23.5 degrees from the vertical angle, forming a new plinth for the expansion. The plinth is relieved by a ribbon of glass framed in concrete while Saarinen-styled lantern buildings rise above the library plaza. That which was halved when CTS returned to Fort Wayne in 1976 will be quadrupled in 2010! By next year at this time, the 45,000 square foot expansion will be finished and renovation of the 15,000 square feet of the historic library building will be underway. Adequate space for students, staff and stacks will be available well into our future, delivering a resounding response to the constant accreditation refrain of "inadequate library facilities" for a school offering CTS's range of graduate degrees. Fundraising continues while building begins with the firm hope that additional donors will step forth as CTS both cares for its campus at age 50 and builds for the next 50, providing the physical environment in which servants in Jesus Christ are formed! Rev. Robert V. Roethemeyer serves as an Associate Professor of Pastoral Ministry and Missions, Director of Library Services, Executive Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning and Institutional Self-Study Coordinator.

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