New chapel renovations plans (updated)

At the Saint Joseph's College Fellows Dinner on Saturday, a new project for the Council of Fellows was announced, a new phase of chapel renovation. The focus of this project will be the entrance of the church, though there will also be handicapped-accessible restrooms in the basement.

A new entrance will be added on the east side of the east bell tower. It will lead to an elevator that will take people up to the level of the chapel. Also, the entryway will be expanded by moving the interior doors inward so they are directly under the overhang of the choir loft. That will also serve to support the choir loft. In the diagram below, the new interior wall with doors is the thin yellow line that connects the two gray parts of the bell tower. The current wall has no buckle.

Below is artists rendering of the space. It will have better lighting than the current space, which is quite dark. The remodeling will also highlight some of the stained glass windows in this area, which are usually ignored.

Construction will not start until the money for the project is raised.

Update: Below is a photo of the balcony. The new interior wall will follow its outline. The windows above the doors should be more visible with better lighting in the entryway.