Sanctuary

With all of the success of Phase I and the restoration of the Parish Hall half of the St. Lawrence, there is still the realization that the project is only halfway done. While the renovation of the Sanctuary half is estimated at four times the cost of the Parish Hall, it also holds four times the potential. There are many activities for which the 110-seat Parish Hall Theater is just too small - large cast or band performances, productions with large audience draw and, in particular, dance performances that the small size of the Parish Hall stage physically prohibits. Surveys of the Greater Portland community, including artistic performance organizations and performers who have used the Parish Hall Theater, indicate that there is a severe need for medium sized venues of 250-500 seats in the Portland area. There is no reason to believe that the Sanctuary Theater would be any less affordable, accessible or successful than the Parish Hall Theater - a significant fact for, as Phase I made clear, a clearly defined end-use is absolutely critical to the successful adaptive re-use of an historic building.

Phase II's estimate of $5.2 million is based upon extensive structural analysis, industry estimations and the priceless experience of restoring the Parish Hall half of the building. Phase II breaks down into several major categories, each of which will cost approximately $1 million, including:

  • rebuilding the masonry walls;
  • renovating the slate roof and other exterior features;
  • interior build-out and equipping;
  • project management, administration and miscellaneous; and - endowment

As the building is a local and national landmark and the project has received federal funding, all interior and exterior Rehabilitaion must be performed under the United States Secretary of Interior's historic preservation standards. To date, $150,000 has been raised as seed money to help development of the project and capital campaign, including $100,000 from a Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) through the City of Portland and $37,500 from local foundations. In total, the project has received over $360,000 in CDBG funds since 1997 because the neighborhood is designated a low-income neighborhood by the United States Census, which helps because the St. Lawrence has no large benefactors, mostly neighborhood residents.

St. Lawrence Rehabilitation Project Budget - Phase II (Capital)

  1. Exterior Wall and Roof Restoration $1,008,735
    • Roof replacement and restoration
    • Exterior gable wood/slate replacement
    • Stained Glass window restoration
    • Shore southwest corner and conduct masonry repairs
    • Belfry tower stabilization
  2. Masonry walls - Demolition, rebuilding and restoration $1,054,700
  3. Interior build-out $1,000,275
    • Basement excavation and finish
    • Finish interior walls and floors
    • Mechanical, electrical and safety systems
    • Special construction for performance space & equipment
  4. Architects, engineers and construction management & permit (15%) $459,556
  5. Campaign management $300,000
  6. Contingency (10%) $400,000
  7. Endowment $1,000,000
  • Total $5,223,267
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