The Project

• The quaint Church of the Ascension structure was built in 1893 and is a historic landmark in Gaithersburg, MD.
• It was time for the church to address parking and capacity issues. The church’s attendees had used the adjacent high school parking lot, but the school’s expansion plans blocked this parking option. New parking alternatives were explored.
• This type of historic renovation requires extra measures of experience, skill, and reverence for treasured community landmarks. Interior renovations were needed on the aging structure and finishes as well as improvements to accessibility for disabled persons.

Why Therrien Waddell?

• Therrien Waddell was able to work creatively with the church’s leadership on its renovation plans and budgets.
• Representing the church with the Gaithersburg (MD) City Council during the approval process, TW “cooperatively tackled the obstacles of local requirements to achieve the preservation of a beloved city and county landmark,” says Dan Coffey.

Challenges and Results

• The church’s chapel had fallen into disrepair after being used for offices for a number of years. Either renovation or demolition were the only options for this treasured building because of zoning easements. Thanks to the advocacy of Therrien Waddell and the support of the City of Gaithersburg, the renovation and parking lot expansion plans were approved.
• Additional planning and coordination were required to preserve delicate and aged architectural features. The success of the project was a result of skilled and caring teamwork on a venerable piece of history—and the TW team’s ability to balance the church’s limited budget with needed renovations.