First Baptist Church

The First Baptist Church in Kearney, Nebraska is eager to call the old Kearney High School its home now that renovations are complete. The building was 240,000 SF and was demolished down to 109,000 SF, as not all space is necessary for the church. Offices, classrooms, and the sanctuary were included in this project. After a thorough examination process, it was determined that the newest portions of the former high school should be saved along with the gymnasium and adjacent portions of the building. The high school's historic gym serves as the sanctuary of the church as the arched beams create a unique place to gather and worship. What were at one time locker rooms and a smaller gym to the north, is now renovated and converted to Saints Hall - a large foyer, lobby and gathering space. The addition of large steel trusses form the structure of a new main entrance and lobby, soaring over the building and terminating in a triple cross display, tying back aesthetically to the buttresses on the historic gymnasium and providing the building with a new, distinct identity.