News
January 24, 2019First Reformed Church to Dedicate Extensive Renovation
After several years of planning and construction, the First Reformed Church of Schenectady will dedicate its new wing on February 2, 2019 at 3pm. The $4 million project includes new spaces for church programs, missions and community events. The extensive construction and renovation reworked space in a major part of the First Reformed campus, reflecting new directions for the church over the next decades.
The project addressed issues of safety, ecology, accessibility, functionality, and asbestos abatement while keeping an eye on the changing needs of children and youth and the mission to the community. This is a final phase of the project that also included dramatic renovations to the Mohawk Bank building the church owns that made it into a community meeting center.
The project architect is the Albany firm of Mesick, Cohen, Wilson, and Baker and the contractor is Rosch Brothers of Latham.
The highlight of the major renovation is the Covenant Hall, which provides a large space for events of many types and has been judged the best new medium-sized venue in the capital district. The hall has already been booked for major musical performances, weddings, and public forums. Every Wednesday, Covenant Hall is already the location for Wednesday Lunches to the community for $2.
Bill Levering, the Senior Minister of the church, is excited about the new space. “This beautiful and functional place is a wonderful statement of who this church is and where it is going,” he said.
The First Reformed Church of Schenectady is a historic and progressive Protestant congregation first formed in 1680. It has prospered over many years and lives on to deepen and serve the world it touches.
