Monastery Event Center

The Holy Cross Monastery and Church is situated on the crest of a hill in Mt. Adams and has been a landmark structure in the area since it’s construction in the late 1890’s. Abandoned by the Archdiocese in the late 1970’s the building sat vacant until a developer in the mid 1980’s transformed the monk’s quarters into offices though the attached church never found a new use until now with the renovation of the building into an event center.

The interior space deteriorated significantly over the years echoing the ornate character of its former self. Although aged, the spirit of the space lived on through the remaining elements not destroyed through neglect and we believed that the space could tell a story about its past through preserving the present. Our goal was to capture the same feeling you get when discovering a grand old building that had not been cared for but still gave you the sense of augh and wonder. 

Along with preserving the old sanctuary space, the building needed significant structural work to repair the massive roof trusses and rotting floor. Great care was taken to hide all of the HVAC ductwork and electric by building a new wall around the perimeter up to the sill of the windows in the sanctuary. 

In addition to the interior renovation an opening was created for entry into a beautiful new garden that serves as pre and post function space for weddings.