Lexington Presbyterian Church

Lexington, Virginia

Lexington Presbyterian Church

Excellence in Historic Preservation Honor Award, Virginia AIA

In 1843, a Presbyterian congregation from the Shenandoah Valley town of Lexington hired Thomas Ustick Walter to draw up plans for its sanctuary. Walter, a lecturer at the Franklin Institute, would later rise to fame as the architect of the United States Capitol. Walter recommended a Greek-inspired design, that would serve Lexington Presbyterian Church for 157 years.

On July 18, 2000, a fire destroyed the church leaving only the exterior brick bearing walls and the front porch. The congregation hired Train Architects to research the building’s history, measure what remained of it, recommend measures to conserve it, and produce the documents necessary to rebuild it. Ultimately that restoration effort came to include a renovation of the sanctuary to accommodate a new pipe organ.

Train Architects was subsequently asked to develop a master plan for the entire church complex. The church’s immediate needs included accessibility, organization and renovation of support spaces- the parish hall, kitchen, bathrooms, classrooms, childcare, community outreach programs.

This project received the Honor Award for Excellence in Historic Preservation from the Virginia American Institute of Architects.