PROJECT  St. Michaels Community Center

LOCATION St. Michaels, Maryland, US​

ARCHITECT McInturff Architects

CLIENT St. Michaels Community Center

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Mark McInturff FAIA, Christopher Boyd AIA, Jeffrey McInturff, Julia Jeffs

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT
CONTRACTOR Harper & Sons Inc. / Ron Markey, Project Mgr Kevin Jans, Project Mgr Robert Shaffer, Superintendent

ENGINEERS
Baker Ingram & Associates / Paynter Ingram
Lane Engineering LLC / Brett Ewing
Burdette Kohler Murphy & Associates Inc. / James Weaver
Burdette Kohler Murphy & Associates Inc. / James Weaver

PHOTOGRAPHER Julia Heine

CONSULTANTS (if applicable)
Jan Kirsh Studio jankirshstudio@gmail.com - Landscape design
Specifications -- Rosa D. Cheney AIA, PLLC, CSI, CCS, LEED AP BD+C rosa.cheney@rdcaia.com
Neil Thompson Shade / Acoustical Design Collaborative LTD.
John D. Hynes & Associates Inc. - Geotechnical Engineers jdhynes@aol.com
CORE Engineering Consulting Group Inc. / Eric Mayl - Fire Protection Engineer emayl@coregr.com

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/26/2024

PROJECT SUMMARY
The St Michaels Community Center, founded in1990, never had a permanent home. St Michaels is a picturesque village and a popular Chesapeake Bay tourist destination, known for its charming Main Street of shops and restaurants. The area also has a socially, ethnically and economically diverse population.

As the only general social services organization in the Bay Hundred, a 50 square mile region of Talbot County, the SMCC provides approximately 2500 meals a week, emergency services, workforce training, educational programs, after school and summer programming, and a community garden, along with music, social and cultural events for the entire community.

Located just one block off the main street, and directly adjacent to the Union United Methodist Church — the oldest African American church on Maryland’s Eastern Shore — the Center is perfectly located to serve its constituents.

In 2015, SMCC was able to purchase an occupied warehouse shed, built to store lumber at the outset of World War II. Typical of the working waterman vernacular buildings of the 1940s, this structure is part of the legacy of the town. Clients, architects and the town Historic District Commission were determined to keep it, for reasons both historic and environmental; the greenest building is the one that is already there.

Structurally, the building is a basilica — a simple gabled linear space supported on two exterior walls and four rows of internal columns. The form, found throughout history from the Romans to the Gothic cathedrals and on to this day, is an elegant, versatile plan serving any number of functional programs. We were determined to keep that as well.

On the interior, none of the columns and beams were removed, although some new steel strucure was added to bring the building up to code. The new walls required for the program slid easily within them.

These newly defined spaces include three classrooms and a full commercial kitchen serving SMCC’s meals program and workforce training. The only added space is a suite of offices on a new upper level, popping up through the roof and freeing the entire main level for programming.

Located on the corner of two streets that meet at an oblique angle, the building parallels the side street. Extending the roof over the front entry and clipping it to parallel the Railroad Avenue frontage, while extending the line of the interior columns, addresses both streets and creates a
welcoming front porch.

All was supported and applauded by the Historic District Commission, who made this building the only exception to their policy against solar roof panels in the Historic District.

The SMCC officially opened its new home in May 2024, finally in possession of facilities that support their goals of increasing services to help low-income community members achieve greater economic security and personal development, along with social and cultural activities to bring the entire community together. The new facilities – well-equipped classrooms, flexible spaces, a technology center, and a modern commercial kitchen – will allow new and expanded programming and services.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

We applaud the respect for and elevation of this humble community building. The owner's mission of serving the community was absolutely reflected in the architecture. The modest materials are elegantly detailed in a graceful way and it makes a beautiful neighbor to the historic church.

IMAGES – CAPTIONS & CREDITS

Image 1  Second story offices float over the large open ground floor. Photo - Julia Heine
Image 2  Entry facade at dusk Photo - Julia Heine
Image 3  Second story offices float over the large open ground floor. Photo - Julia Heine
Image 4  Extending the existing structure creates a large open porch Photo - Julia Heine
Image 5  A stair in the entry leads to new staff office above Photo - Julia Heine
Image 6  New second floor offices overlook the activity below. Photo - Julia Heine
Image 7  Class rooms can be reconfigured through the use of NanaWall folding partitions and garage doors Photo - Julia Heine
Image 8  A second story pop up slides between the structural elements, housing new staff offices Photo - Julia Heine

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF