Conservancy at Saint Peter’s Headquarters

In 1977, the renowned designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli designed the interiors of the new Saint Peters Lutheran Church. The Church and the Citicorp Building designed by Hugh Stubbins & Associates, were declared Landmark Site in December 2016, recognizing the historical place in the urban landscape of New York.

Fast forward to the pandemic, on the fateful morning of January 5th, 2021, an unforeseen disaster hit the community when a city water main running under Lexington Avenue broke causing a massive flooding of the Church. The breakage caused a heavy entry of water, silt sand and mud through the sunken on the South side of the Sanctuary. After ten days of cleaning efforts, the balance of damage extended from the Sanctuary and its revered organ to the other lower levels, administrative offices, irreplaceable jazz archives, black box theater and all its auxiliary spaces.

These two events tested the resilience of the Community.  However, The Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peters is approaching this project as an investment in a Landmark. As part of the reconstruction, substantial modifications to the layout of the levels will be made to modernize and update the plan, catering to the needs of the community while homogenizing and harmonizing the overall interior design of the building with the original Sanctuary designed by the Vignellis.

The architectural language for the intervention is the result of a profound investigation into Vignelli’s work and design. It reflects their passion for the square and the grid, the proportions between elements, and the specific use of materials, patterns, colors, and wood finishes.

The First Floor contains the new Conservancy headquarters and the Zion Center, remodeled by MQA in 2011. The new layout of the space is based on symmetries and grids. The ceiling height is compressed in the corridors before entering the offices. All partitions are made of glass with wood frames to introduce light into all offices. The rest of the materials consist of walls, floors, and ceilings in white with wood accents and wood furniture. 10’x10’ squared bookshelves serve as the background of each office.

The estimated year of completion of the renovation would be 2027. In 2027, after 50 years of the inauguration, the entire interior will join the exterior of the Church and the Citicorp Building and will be declared Landmark.

Architect: Miguel Quismondo, AIA Location: 619 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY Estimated Completion Date: July 2025 Built area: 20,000 sq.ft. Team: Juan Carlos Bragado, Jacobo Mingorance, Ignacio de Siloniz, Chije Kahn Client: Arts and Architecture Conservancy at Saint Peters Inc. Structural Engineer: R.D.G. Consulting Engineers MEP Engineer: CES Engineering Lighting Consultant: Sighte Studio Acoustical Consultant: SH Acoustics Code Consultant: Metropolis Group Inc. Graphic Designer: Waterhouse Cifuentes Design Theater Consultant: Lee Savage Construction & Property Manager: CBRE Photography: MQ Architecture