AROUND THE PARK AGAIN by Sharon Lee Tegler
Workmen on scaffolding could be spotted throughout the past week on both sides of Historic Holy Grounds. A mix of tools, ladders, lumber and windowpanes could be seen.
Owned by Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church but managed by the Severna Park Community Center, the graceful building constructed in 1927 as St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church has aged gracefully but wear and tear was inevitable. Foremost among the architectural elements needing immediate care were the windows.
Woods congregation member Bob Royer, project manager for the window replacement, revealed how plans for the complex undertaking were conceived, evolved, and brought to fruition thanks, in part, to an anonymous donor.
“We’d begun making plans to redo the windows in 2019 as part of our church’s Renew Capital Campaign to upgrade our buildings in sustainalbe, energy efficient ways,” Royer said. “At Holy Grounds, the windows were somewhat in disrepair and had been patched several times. We’d decided we couldn’t let them deteriorate further and now was the time to replace them, when we were contacted by Severna Park Community Center Executive Director Sarah Elder with a possible donor for the project.”
The church members involved had done their homework and were just about started on the work when Elder put Royer in touch with a Severna Park resident who is a community center member.
He learned that the Holy Grounds building held a great deal of significance for the donor’s family. Her grandfather attended St. John the Evangelist Church back in the days when Severna Park was still known as the rural community of Boone, Maryland. She had fond memories of the building and wanted to do something to preserve it.
Royer discovered that she’s a great advocate for authenticity (her family having been involved the John W. Brown Liberty Ship Project). He then suggested she donate the window replacement as a visible example of the original builders’ standards of excellence and a fitting tribute to her family’s legacy. He outlined the project which would require quite an expenditure and she said she’d like to pay for it.
“It was such a generous gift which allows us to divert the money we’d have spent to making other much-needed repairs and upgrades,” Royer said.
Walking into the interior of the building with him, it was stunning to see the window frames on the far side of the building empty of windows and open to the great outdoors.
There were five windows on each side of the original church but one window on each side was eventually converted to a door – a modern glass door rimmed in black with push bars. The upper panels of legacy glass were still in place on each side (one appears on the right side of the photo above) but are being removed and replaced with new panes above a pair of newly designed doors with a Prairie Grid design that mimics the windows. The original front door to the vestibule has been replaced and the legacy arched windows on either side of it replaced. Fortunately, to preserve the history of the building, they will be reinstalled in the church’s Youth Room.
All six bathroom windows have been installed. The glass used there is similar to the “Minster” style hammer-tone glass of the large windows that you can see through from inside. However, the bathroom windows use a different form of the glass that cannot be seen through from either side.
Both indoors and outdoors one could see the ongoing work and observe the contrast between the old and new window materials.
Seen from inside, one craftsman is preparing the frame to accept a new window while……… 
………(also seen from inside) another craftsman attaches trim to to one of the new windows.
“We were very concerned about how to preserve the look of the original windows while using a different kind of energy preserving double-paned glass,” Royer said. “We tried to make the design as close to the original as possible so we made cardboard templates of every grid to send to the company to be reproduced identically. You’ll see that we were pretty successful.”
Replacing the windows went far beyond the Woods’ REHABers group’s skills even though some are quite competent woodworkers or electricians. So the church had to hire a company that specializes in such installations. Very few companies will even touch such difficult work but Royer was fortunately connected with Severna Park resident Kyle Watson of Lansing Building Products – a business that maintains its own crews of highly skilled installers through a partnership with Action Exteriors LLC in Riva.
Because multi-paned glass requires a tight seal and a flat surface, a film that creates the grid pattern had to be applied before installation could take place. Woods hired a second company called Advanced Window Technology to apply that film.
At the same time, Action Exteriors LLC took out the sashes – quite a job that saved the installers considerable time. The original 1927 sashes were counterbalanced with lead weights in the frames that had to be removed and the channels containing them filled. Royer had worried that the wood would be deteriorated. However, the frames were quite thick and so ingeniously built that they were in good shape.
Workers from both companies were “absolute jewels” – total professionals in handling the windows down to the smallest detail according to Royer.
He noted that further work is planned going into summer – some of which may be tackled by the Woods REHAB group and some of which will be handled by a company they’re hiring. The work will include upgrading the bathrooms and kitchen.
Elder, who viewed the ongoing work across the community center courtyard from the window behind her desk, also made frequent visits as the project unfolded.
“I visited yesterday and, walking around with Bob Royer, I marveled at how much prettier the new windows are. The work they’ve done to preserve the original look is incredible,” she said. “The space is now filled with light and the windows change colors according to the time of day. The jewel tones are particularly evident at sunset. Our wonderful anonymous donor has also been by and she is just thrilled.”
Elder had a marvelous surprise to share. At the completion of the renovation work, Holy Grounds will get a new name.
“Because the building was constructed as a church in 1927 when Severna Park was known as Boone and was located opposite Boone Railroad Station, we are renaming Holy Grounds “Boone Station Hall” as a nod to its history” she said. “It’s such a charming building that’s been used by the community for everything from weddings, concerts and theater performances to yoga classes, birthday parties, baby showers, reunions and memorial services.”
She added that she’s pleased that the Holy Grounds and Youth Center signs will be saved and used elsewhere at Woods Church.
Cool Congregations Sacred Grounds Award also won by Woods
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church recently won a Cool Congregations Sacred Grounds Award from Maryland’s Presbyterian Mission Agency for its collaborative efforts to restore the four-acre habitat the church is built on. They were awarded $1,000.
Woods was recognized for its community based efforts to renew the natural ecosystem on church land. To date, the congregation has planted over 500 native plants and more than 200 native trees. In 2019, the church’s Renew Capital Campaign raised $2.2 million dollars for sustainability projects like energy efficient windows, HVAC and LED lighting.
Their Woods at Woods Reforestation Project, Caring for Creation Rain Garden at Holy Grounds, Conservation Landscape Project to restore an eroding bank by planting deep rooted native plants, and unique Parking Lot Native Plant Gardens involved church and community members of all ages and organizations like Unity Gardens, Bay-Wise and the Watershed Stewards.
To view two excellent videos detailing these efforts, visit Woods Memorial Stormwater Tour – YouTube or A Reforestation to Slow Stormwater Runoff – YouTube
JING YING INSTITUTE OF KUNG FU & TAI CHI HOSTS WORLD TAI CHI DAY SATURDAY
Jing Ying Institute of Kung Fu & Tai Chi, a long-time participant in this global event, will be celebrating World Tai Chi Day on Saturday, April 24. The event will be held outside at Severna Park Community Center under the trees beside Holy Grounds Youth Center from 10 am to 11:30 pm. All ages and fitness levels are welcome. If it rains, the event will be held indoors at the Jing Ying Institute in Arnold.
According to Jing Ying owners Billy and Nancy Greer, there will be demonstrations of Tai Chi followed by free mini-workshops suitable for all levels of fitness. This year, people are asked to register for the event at: www.JingYing.org where there’s also information about a free introductory tai chi class at the Severna Park Community Center on April 28.
