The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Friday, March 29, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Chapel of the Cross moves forward with expansion plans

Photo: Chapel of the Cross moves forward with expansion plans (Rachel Butt)
The Chapel of the Cross will be expanding its parish hall. Morgan Burke, freshman, poli sci/history major from Raleigh McKenzie Roddy, sophomore, psych major from TN

Christian Kohlmann says he found his second family at the Chapel of the Cross. And after Monday’s Town Council meeting, he is looking forward to seeing it grow.

The Chapel of the Cross, an Episcopal church, is moving forward with its expansion project after being granted a zoning change and a special use permit by the Chapel Hill Town Council.

“While I have grown fond of the current facilities, I understand the need for renovations and am excited by the prospects of expansion,” said Kohlmann, a communication studies major at UNC and a student chaplain at the church.

David Ross, chairman of the campaign completion task force, said construction will begin in the fall and will be completed within a year.

The project will add 29,500 square feet at a projected cost of $6.3 million. The expansion will double the space for community outreach while preserving the historic main church.

Preserving history

The Chapel of the Cross, established in 1842, was the first church built on Franklin Street and was also the church where Pauli Murray, the first African American woman to be ordained as an Episcopalian priest, celebrated the holy rite of Eucharist for the first time.

“It’s certainly one of the most historical buildings in Chapel Hill and a unique part of the connection to Pauli Murray,” said Ernest Dollar, preservation director of the Preservation Society of Chapel Hill.

But Dollar said the society is concerned about the impact of the expansion on the University’s Coker Arboretum, which is located behind the church.

“This is a historical area — an early urban designed landscape, unique to Chapel Hill,” he said. “I hope when they look at the expansion they will be sensitive to the Arboretum.”

Growing beyond the walls

Rev. Stephen Elkins-Williams, Chapel of the Cross rector, is happy for an opportunity to expand the church’s impact, according to a church press release.

To accomplish that goal, the expansion will add features aimed at making it more appealing to the students, many of whom use the church for worship, studying and socializing.

“The most exciting part for UNC students is that there would be a terrace that would run full-length and be accessed to the church from the Arboretum for students,” Ross said.

Matthew Givens, a public health major and a student chaplain at the church, said the project will also expand and update the library and kitchen areas.

“Although our current facilities are great, having extra space that is especially suited for the needs and wants of students is going to make ECM more welcoming.”

Contact the City Editor at city@dailytarheel.com.

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition