Sanctuary
With all of the success of Phase I and the rehabilitation of the Parish Hall half of the St. Lawrence, there is still the realization that the project is only halfway done. While the rebuilding of the Sanctuary half is estimated at many times the cost of the Parish Hall, it also many times the potential. There are 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 limits.
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 Auditorium 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.
Rebuilding The Sanctuary Into A Premier Performance Hall
In 2008, the sanctuary was deemed beyond repair and was dismantled, but not before the architectural team prepared meticulous measured drawings of the historic structure. Thanks to a generous grant from Jane’s Trust, The St. Lawrence Arts Center engaged Mills Whitaker Architects, LLC to develop plans to rebuild the Sanctuary into a much needed mid-sized auditorium. The plans for the Sanctuary include a state-of-the-art 402 seat performance hall geared toward music, a spacious lobby serving both the Sanctuary and Parish Hall Theater, a room on the roof providing sweeping views of Casco Bay, and a multitude of support spaces including concessions, catering kitchen, green rooms, conference rooms and workshop spaces. The Parish Hall Theater will also be modified allowing for a slight increase in seating capacity to 120 with increased flexibility to allow for multi-functional use. The project has been registered with the Green Building Certification Institute for Gold LEED certification. (Gold, baby, Gold!) The sanctuary will build on our ability to promote affordable, accessible entertainment and culturally enriching artistic experiences