Jackson & Ryan Architects | The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Chancery

The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Chancery
Houston, Texas

The North American headquarters for The Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter Chancery was seamlessly integrated into the 30-year-old parish of Our Lady of Walsingham. The limestone and mortar of the added structure match the existing building in both color and pattern. What differentiates this building is the intricate cast stone string courses and window surrounds that give the effect of an Italian palazzo of the Middle Ages. The new colonnade was built to be an extension of the existing courtyards - with the added feature of a floor made of granite pavers. This two-story stone building has public spaces on the ground floor including the entry hall, the courtyard, an assembly hall and a reception area. On the second floor is an oratory, offices and a state-of-the-art distance learning conference room. Just past the intricately detailed cast stone entry, the hall has a groined vault ceiling constructed with glass fiber reinforced gypsum precast panels. With an exacting eye to detail and keeping to a true expression of the past, great care was taken to avoid any modern construction shortcuts.