Our Lady of the Rosary Church

Location: Coatesville, PA
Description: Lobby & Narthex Expansion for Accessibility Improvements

Our Lady of the Rosary Church is situated on a steeply sloping site. As a result, the original church was planned with Upper and Lower floors which correspond to grades at opposite ends of the building. The Parish challenged GKO Architects to provide a barrier-free vertical circulation system to alleviate the accessibility issues posed by the multi-level design. To solve this problem, we proposed a circulation tower that includes an elevator, new stair, Lower Level entry lobby which is accessible to grade and an Upper Level Narthex / Gathering Space which is accessible via the new elevator. An exterior ramp at the Lower Level provides an accessible route to the lower level parking lot. These modifications have allowed congregants to enter the Church at either Level while having access to a barrier-free interior circulation route through the Facility.