Crossroads Church
$6.5M
Construction Manager
Cincinnati, Ohio
Champlin Architecture
This transformation of a 91,000 SF vacant warehouse store on a 17-acre lot in Oakley, Ohio, into a contemporary, multi-use church facility broke the stereotype of the quaint gothic church on a street corner. Starting with 11 members, Crossroads grew to more than 2,000 members in 5.5 years, and needed a home-base facility to support its growth and mission.
The distinctive facility includes a 1,200-seat auditorium, backstage storage, community atrium, church offices, high-tech audio/visual control room, resource room, comfortable reading/resting areas, and 17 uniquely decorated classrooms for the children’s ministry. Both the administrative and children’s ministry areas were constructed with a second-floor mezzanine for future growth. The pioneering design utilized a “hub and spokes” concept with visitors entering through a large, inviting atrium space, and functional areas of the church accessed directly from the atrium “hub,” including the auditorium, Kid’s Club, staff offices and other “spokes” of the wheel.
As construction manager, Megen led the on-site construction management, cost estimating and cost control throughout the project, with constant collaboration with the design team to make the project a success. Five months into the project and four months to its completion, the Church accelerated the schedule as they desired their grand opening to coincide with the Thanksgiving holiday, as opposed to Christmas. This slashed an already aggressive schedule by one month, but we faced the challenge head-on. On Thanksgiving 2001, the church was opened for its first service to the delight of its 1,000 plus members.
Despite an accelerated schedule and coordination of a challenging steel acquisition and placement, the facility was completed one month ahead of schedule and almost 1 million under budget. As desired, the facility has broken stereotypes, been filled with people aged 18-34, and attracted national attention.
91,000
Square Feet
$1,000,000
Under Budget
“The Megen team had the management versatility to tackle unusual demands that come with a church project. They presented complicated technical and financial issues in a simple way that church ministry people could more easily understand. They also patiently endured countless meetings with key church staff, volunteers, and congregation members. As for the construction, Megen’s work was meticulous, and completed within budget and a month ahead of schedule!”