The Master Plan serves as the guide stone for future campus development. Each phase of the project was developed in such a way that it could be a stand-alone component, but could also fold easily into a future addition that would convert the function of some of the existing spaces. Phase III of the Master Plan followed the same blueprint. A more traditional sanctuary was added that will eventually become the Gathering Space/Lobby for a much larger future sanctuary. Phase III also included additional classrooms for Children and Tweens, a choir room and a Fellowship Hall.
Grace Avenue UMC embraces natural materials in their campus design – wood, stone, metal and glass in a design aesthetic that gives a nod to the Arts and Crafts design period. A soaring wood deck ceiling rests on clerestory stained glass windows in the Sanctuary. Stone columns around the perimeter of the Sanctuary and in the Lobby support the wood ceiling and are capped in wood and graced with woven copper sconces. Custom chandeliers and pendant fixtures offer a variety of lighting scenarios for Worship. In the Lobby an interior illuminated steeple soars nearly 200 feet into the air, serving as a beacon to the community and the nearby elevated North South tollway that connects the northern portions of the city to the downtown area. The Children’s check-in desk adheres to the natural design continuum, with a slate tile mosaic backdrop and floating wood canopies.