Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

A Modern Facility for an Ancient Faith

For over 60 years, Greek Orthodox Christians have worshipped and celebrated their culture at facilities located at the Annunciation campus at 600 Alhambra Boulevard in Sacramento. Founded by a handful of immigrant families from Greece, the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church has become a thriving Parish of over 500 families.  To meet cultural and ministry needs, a new Family and Education Center was commissioned to replace aging infrastructure and facilities – and build for the future.

CJA interfaced with a number of groups during the master plan process, including a small executive building committee, a larger full building committee, the parish at large and three separate neighborhood community organizations. The main drive for this master plan was to lay out the facilities so that new buildings could be constructed while still occupying the existing buildings and the existing buildings demolished after occupancy of the new buildings. This was especially challenging given a tight 2.2 acre site. New replacement facilities include:

• a multi-purpose parish hall,
• bookstore,
• classrooms,
• library,
• meeting rooms,
• preschool,
• administrative offices,
• a larger parking lot and
• an extensive courtyard.

Organized around the campus courtyard, called the Plateia in Greek, the new Center is a modern facility for an ancient faith.  The Center provides needed space for social, cultural, educational, and religious activities.  A major design requirement was to design the facility in the Byzantine style to reflect the Parish’s proud heritage, legacy, and culture.  Sustainability, energy efficiency, and low maintenance were important design requirements as well.

 

616 Alhambra Boulevard, Sacramento, CA

Client/Owner:

Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church

Peregrine School

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Comstock Johnson assisted in converting approximately 4,600 s.f. of classroom, restroom and office space which previously functioned as a satellite campus for Sacramento City College into the interim home of the K-6 arm of Peregrine school.  The renovation included finish upgrades, the addition of casework and plumbing in classrooms and conversion of a rear parking lot into a playground and garden in association with Indigo/Hammond + Playle Architects

 

1909 Galileo Court, Davis, California

Client: Peregrine School

Brookfield School

Brookfield school is a private Kindergarten through 8th Grade campus serving approximately 150 students on a 5 acre campus. This 6,500 s.f. addition to the campus of the Brookfield School in Sacramento is a free-standing multipurpose building with gymnasium and stage.  It is sited on the property in the central yard of the school and placed at an angle to preserve heritage trees on site.

 

6115 Riverside Blvd, Sacramento, California

Client: Brookfield School

St. Patrick Academy

St. Patrick Academy is a K-8 school operated by the Catholic Diocese of Sacramento.  CJA’s numerous projects at St. Patrick over the years varied from classroom upgrades, including the creation of new Computer, Science lab, Music, Dance and Art rooms,  to cafeteria and kitchen redesign, site accessibility upgrades and the addition of 5 modular classrooms at the rear of the school.  

A lot of the work done here was designed with a light hand to preserve the beauty of the original brick buildings built in 1932 as an orphanage and convent.  Much of the initial work was completed in 2010 to prepare the school to receive students from other inner-city schools that were scheduled to close

 

5945 Franklin Blvd, Sacrametno, California

Client: Catholic Diocese of Sacramento

Cristo Rey Sacramento High School

CJA worked with an existing office building to create a new home for Christo Rey Sacramento High School. The services for this 48,000 s.f. project included programming, entitlement processing, tenant improvements and interior design. The big challenge tackled by our architects was gaining approval through the City of Sacramento for the change in use from an office to an educational facility.

Major upgrades were made to the existing building's systems, including HVAC, electrical and fire suppression. New spaces include a large multi-purpose room, a kitchen , administrative offices, counseling center and classrooms. Laboratories for physics, science, biology, and art were also added.

Pops of school color can be spotted throughout the campus and the big, bright classrooms are equipped to provide students with all they need to succeed.

 

8475 Jackson Road, Sacramento, CA

Client: Christo Rey High School

Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services Education Center

Designed to accommodate the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services’ evolving program offerings, this 22,000 square foot Education and Technology Center was designed to accommodate maximum flexibility including 11 classrooms and multipurpose rooms with operable partitions.

The style of the building takes cues from the surrounding historic neighborhood as it sits next to the SFBFS headquarters in the heart of the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento. While traditional in form, the building utilizes contemporary materials to provide an affordable, sustainable and lasting structure.

 

3308 3d Avenue, Sacramento, CA