
Images courtesy of di loreto Architecture.
St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church, Portland, Ore.
St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Church in Portland, Ore., needed a major facelift on a tight budget.
Built in 1957, St. Joseph needed this reconstruction in response to a rather happy problem: the church’s growth resulted in Sunday Mass being standing room only, with services broadcast via closed circuit television into an overflow space. The renovation also involved the removal of several haphazard additions that were originally intended to accommodate increasing attendance, but that resulted in an awkward floor plan instead.
Renewal through design
“Over the years there were some poorly planned additions and rooms, and bathrooms were added and moved,” explains Christopher Lonigro, associate director and project designer at local architectural firm di loreto Architecture, which oversaw the project design. “Things were jam-packed in there, with very little forethought.”

Exterior before
After conducting a collaborative discovery and master planning process involving St. Joseph’s building committee and congregation members, the firm’s resulting design called for the removal of the old additions, reducing the building to its original footprint.
After conducting a collaborative discovery and master planning process involving St. Joseph’s building committee and congregation members, the firm’s resulting design called for the removal of the old additions, reducing the building to its original footprint. New additions accommodate auxiliary spaces (offices, restrooms, etc.), and the incorporation of new radius pews has resulted in a significant increase in seating. (With the addition of chairs during busy times, the sanctuary can max out at about 600 seats vs. its previous 380-seat capacity.)

Floor plan
A recessed portal serves as the main entry leading into a large narthex that serves as a gathering space and hub that connects the sanctuary and a new social hall. The narthex also provides access to a reconciliation chapel, a vesting sacristy, and a devotional alcove designed for reflection and meditation. A baptistry sits at the end of the narthex, featuring a stained glass window that depicts the baptism of Jesus. Positioned toward the sanctuary, the baptismal marks the beginning of the nave.
Modest AV additions
Because the sanctuary can accommodate St. Joseph’s entire congregation, there is no longer a need for a CCTV overflow broadcast. A modest audio system consists of two loudspeakers, several microphones, and a tablet-based audio mixing system, and di loreto Architecture worked with Todd Matthias of Acoustic Design Studio Inc., also based in Portland, to ensure that the sanctuary behaved well acoustically.

Sanctuary elevation
“[We did some] atmospheric acoustic treatment to keep the echoing not to a minimum, but to make sure there wasn’t too much, because there are a lot of curved [surfaces] which tend to reflect sound in odd ways,” Lonigro explains. Acoustical insulation, hidden behind wood slatting in the curve of the sanctuary wall, as well as in the curved ceiling above the altar, addresses this issue.
As is the case with many church projects, this one required di loreto Architecture to arrive at a solution with modest financing. With budgetary restrictions to take into account, Lonigro relays that it’s necessary to make thoughtful design choices that make a difference without requiring excessive funds. “Instead of trying to design everything like it’s a Las Vegas casino, we ask ourselves: there are three or four areas that really need to be emphasized, and how do we go about doing that? The rest we’ll keep simple. That’s how we kept the price under control.”
“Instead of trying to design everything like it’s a Las Vegas casino, we ask ourselves: there are three or four areas that really need to be emphasized, and how do we go about doing that?" Christopher Lonigro, Associate Director and Project Designer, di loreto Architecture, Portland, OR

Narthex
The best example of this are the sloping light scoops that reshaped the building’s exterior while allowing light to flow into the narthex and baptismal. Natural light washes over the walls and floor, gradually changing positions as the day progresses. “Just in a couple of hours the shadows will be completely different––the light will be shining on one wall, and then it will be focused on the actual baptismal font,” Lonigro says. The firm reproduced the same effect in the sanctuary above the altar, creating shadows that pass over the back wall. “It was a fairly simple and inexpensive way to create such a dynamic [effect], because really, there are just three skylights up above the altar. But how we treated the ceiling and the back wall, and how the light washes over the wall is really what gives it its magic.”
Natural light washes over the walls and floor, gradually changing positions as the day progresses.
Because di loreto Architecture’s approach to house of worship design is so collaborative, its project team works closely with building committees and congregation members throughout the entire process. Lonigro notes that one of the things that made this project special was how well everyone worked together. “It was just a good team––everyone was on the same page, and you don’t have that all the time,” he says. “There was a goal, and everyone was trying to achieve that goal. That was the best part of the project.”
Find di loreto Architecture here: www.diloretoarchitecture.com.