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Houzz Tour: 19th-Century Church Reborn as a Family Home
An altar becomes a kitchen and a choir loft becomes a bedroom when a couple renovate a former Catholic church
When this couple set out house hunting a few years back, they weren’t looking for an old church to remodel. But when they happened upon the former St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in southeastern Pennsylvania, they were instantly smitten. Here’s how they married the old with the new to transform it into a warm, eclectic family home.
Before: The exterior of the church had flaking paint, a deteriorating roof and chimney and sections of rotted wood. It also had an observation deck/widow’s walk that Foster describes as “terrifying.” But the well-built, stately structure looked much like it did a century prior.
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
New to home remodeling? Learn the basics
After: The church’s footprint didn’t change during the renovation. But Foster made architectural updates that can be seen on the exterior, including taking down the observation deck and installing a small cupola on the top. On the west facade, seen here, they removed the deteriorating chimney and added a dormer and several square windows.
The cladding was repainted a buttery shade of yellow and, where necessary, patched with Boral (now Westlake Royal Building Products) TruExterior siding and trim, which is made from 70% recycled materials. The wife’s father, who had also worked in the construction industry, oversaw the installation of a new standing-seam metal roof.
Removing overgrown vegetation revealed the church’s beautiful original stone foundation.
The cladding was repainted a buttery shade of yellow and, where necessary, patched with Boral (now Westlake Royal Building Products) TruExterior siding and trim, which is made from 70% recycled materials. The wife’s father, who had also worked in the construction industry, oversaw the installation of a new standing-seam metal roof.
Removing overgrown vegetation revealed the church’s beautiful original stone foundation.
Parishioners would have ascended the steps and entered the north side of the church through this foyer, which has the original stairs leading up to the second floor. It was already dark, but it got an even moodier makeover.
The walls’ new aubergine paint picks up the color in the stained-glass chandelier and transom window. The new floor has a 4-by-4-foot section of colorful patterned tile inset in a field of slate-gray tile.
The walls’ new aubergine paint picks up the color in the stained-glass chandelier and transom window. The new floor has a 4-by-4-foot section of colorful patterned tile inset in a field of slate-gray tile.
One passes from the dark and compact foyer into this expansive, sunlit nave — the area where the congregation would have sat — which measures 34 feet wide by 54 feet long, with a 22-foot-high ceiling.
Here the Douglas fir floors were refinished and patched as needed. A large dining table, where the couple love to host big dinner parties, occupies a central position. Behind it is a 12-foot-wide galvanized steel cabinet that was salvaged from a church in Philadelphia built around the same time as this one. The husband told In With the Old that his wife found the console, which they estimate dates to the 1930s, and he refinished it.
Here the Douglas fir floors were refinished and patched as needed. A large dining table, where the couple love to host big dinner parties, occupies a central position. Behind it is a 12-foot-wide galvanized steel cabinet that was salvaged from a church in Philadelphia built around the same time as this one. The husband told In With the Old that his wife found the console, which they estimate dates to the 1930s, and he refinished it.
Behind the console, at the south end of the building, is the former altar, now the kitchen, raised up two steps on either side of a new pony wall. The wall, raised kitchen floor and original railing create some separation between the kitchen and living-dining zones without closing them off to each other.
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Before: Here’s an exterior view of the south- and east-facing sides of the church prior to the renovation.
The south-facing wall of glass that you see in the previous photo is on the left here. The wall was shored up and the windows and doors were replaced to improve energy efficiency and allow easy access to the deck and garden.
Either side of the original altar had a sacristy, or small room where clergy would have prepared for services and stored religious items. Foster reimagined the former sacristy on the west side as this tall wall of appliances covered in nickel-gap paneling similar to the originals’. Behind it is an open pantry.
The other sacristy, not pictured, was rebuilt as a mudroom with a dog wash station.
Either side of the original altar had a sacristy, or small room where clergy would have prepared for services and stored religious items. Foster reimagined the former sacristy on the west side as this tall wall of appliances covered in nickel-gap paneling similar to the originals’. Behind it is an open pantry.
The other sacristy, not pictured, was rebuilt as a mudroom with a dog wash station.
Before: Partway through the renovation, this was the view standing approximately at the pony wall’s spot, looking back toward the foyer and the choir loft above it.
Here, you can see the original pressed tin ceiling, which is peeled back above the partially deconstructed choir loft.
The artist had glassed-in the loft and the area beneath it, using it as a heated living and kitchen space. He used the unheated altar and open sanctuary area as his workshop-studio, and his kiln was in the basement.
Here, you can see the original pressed tin ceiling, which is peeled back above the partially deconstructed choir loft.
The artist had glassed-in the loft and the area beneath it, using it as a heated living and kitchen space. He used the unheated altar and open sanctuary area as his workshop-studio, and his kiln was in the basement.
After: This picture doesn’t align perfectly with the previous one. But this is the view when standing at the far back of the new kitchen, again looking back toward the foyer and choir loft. The arched stained-glass window on the left of the previous picture is the one in the center of this photo, closest to the far wall.
To get reoriented, scroll down to the bottom to see the first-floor layout.
Foster laid out the all-electric kitchen, and the design team, Studio IQL, selected the finishes. The owners wanted the new materials to feel like they would age gracefully with the old ones, they told In With the Old, so they opted for soapstone countertops on half of the island and on the coffee bar, which backs up to the pony wall.
After some trial and error, the original pressed tin ceiling was painted bronze, but in this photo you can see a small section in the center that was left unpainted to show off its original patina.
To get reoriented, scroll down to the bottom to see the first-floor layout.
Foster laid out the all-electric kitchen, and the design team, Studio IQL, selected the finishes. The owners wanted the new materials to feel like they would age gracefully with the old ones, they told In With the Old, so they opted for soapstone countertops on half of the island and on the coffee bar, which backs up to the pony wall.
After some trial and error, the original pressed tin ceiling was painted bronze, but in this photo you can see a small section in the center that was left unpainted to show off its original patina.
This living room and wood-burning stove are in the nave, on the same (west) side of the church as the kitchen’s pantry area. The dining table is just behind the rust-colored sofa.
The six original stained-glass windows in the main space — including the two seen here — were painstakingly refurbished.
Heating and cooling a volume this large is no small feat, and Foster notes that sustainability was a priority for the clients. Previously, the home was heated with propane. But to reduce the need for fossil fuels, the clients opted to install a geothermal heat-pump system, which takes advantage of the relatively constant temperature below the earth’s surface in order to absorb or produce heat. The homeowner helped run the pipes for the radiant heat system under the entire nave floor. Replacement of some windows worked in tandem with the heat-pump system to improve the home’s efficiency, and the owners also beefed up the home’s insulation and planned to install solar panels elsewhere on the property, Foster says.
The six original stained-glass windows in the main space — including the two seen here — were painstakingly refurbished.
Heating and cooling a volume this large is no small feat, and Foster notes that sustainability was a priority for the clients. Previously, the home was heated with propane. But to reduce the need for fossil fuels, the clients opted to install a geothermal heat-pump system, which takes advantage of the relatively constant temperature below the earth’s surface in order to absorb or produce heat. The homeowner helped run the pipes for the radiant heat system under the entire nave floor. Replacement of some windows worked in tandem with the heat-pump system to improve the home’s efficiency, and the owners also beefed up the home’s insulation and planned to install solar panels elsewhere on the property, Foster says.
This is the opposite side of the nave, which has stairs leading to a new mezzanine, off of which is an entrance to the choir loft, and to the third floor. The new beam that holds the lighting for the kitchen coffee bar also carries the load of the mezzanine.
Below the mezzanine is a lounge area that feels a bit more intimate than the living room thanks to the lower ceiling and a partition wall. Gulliver, the family dog, appears to have staked his claim.
This is the view looking toward the foyer. You can see the near end of this sofa peeking out in the previous photo.
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This is the view looking toward the foyer. You can see the near end of this sofa peeking out in the previous photo.
Shop for living room furniture on Houzz
The staircase leading to the mezzanine features a wooden railing with a brass mesh insert. The design retains the space’s open feel while looking like it might have been there all along.
A small office overlooks the kitchen. Along the mezzanine, the stained glass was preserved, but the lower portion was reglazed with safety glass. “Every window has been touched, if not replaced,” Foster says.
Before: This view shows how the artist had glassed in the choir loft and space below it. Notice the three Gothic arch windows on the back wall; these are the three arched windows facing north that you can see above the church’s portico in the very first photo.
After: This is the new view inside the choir loft, facing west. In order to increase the loft’s size to accommodate this primary bedroom, Foster created a bump-out, or bay, overlooking the main space (on the left of the photo).
The chimney seen here was in disrepair, so it was taken down on the outside of the building. If you zoom in, you can see a glazed piece among the bricks: an artifact installed by the artist who once lived here.
The chimney seen here was in disrepair, so it was taken down on the outside of the building. If you zoom in, you can see a glazed piece among the bricks: an artifact installed by the artist who once lived here.
The primary bathroom is on the other side of the headboard wall. Behind the new copper soaking bath, the glass in the Gothic arch windows was replaced, but the molding that forms the top of the arch was preserved and then matched with custom millwork.
The shower walls are covered in handmade green tile.
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The shower walls are covered in handmade green tile.
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A new, small staircase was added from the second floor to the third floor and this guest bedroom, which is directly above the primary bathroom.
When the couple purchased the building, where this large window now sits was a sliding glass “door to nowhere,” as Foster describes it. But a historical photo revealed that it originally had a 5½-foot-wide louvered arched window, and the husband also had a fond memory of an arched window in his grandmother’s home.
So, to honor that original window shape and that memory, the couple searched architectural salvage yards in Philadelphia and found this half-moon stained-glass window, which was salvaged from a West Philadelphia church dating to 1887. The husband sanded and refinished it, and the trim and the windows below it were designed around it.
The couple are planning to build a bunkroom on the top floor as well.
When the couple purchased the building, where this large window now sits was a sliding glass “door to nowhere,” as Foster describes it. But a historical photo revealed that it originally had a 5½-foot-wide louvered arched window, and the husband also had a fond memory of an arched window in his grandmother’s home.
So, to honor that original window shape and that memory, the couple searched architectural salvage yards in Philadelphia and found this half-moon stained-glass window, which was salvaged from a West Philadelphia church dating to 1887. The husband sanded and refinished it, and the trim and the windows below it were designed around it.
The couple are planning to build a bunkroom on the top floor as well.
Foster integrated a hallway just off the foyer (where the confessionals remain now as closets) into this first-floor guest suite on the east side of the church. Dubbed the “chapel bedroom,” it also has an en suite bathroom.
Creating a sense of home and enough space to host family and friends were important goals during the renovation. As a result, while the building may no longer be a Catholic church, it’s once again a sanctuary and place of celebration.
Creating a sense of home and enough space to host family and friends were important goals during the renovation. As a result, while the building may no longer be a Catholic church, it’s once again a sanctuary and place of celebration.
First floor (north is at the top of the plan)
Second floor
House at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple and their dog, Gulliver
Location: Landenberg, Pennsylvania
Size: 3,420 square feet (318 square meters); three bedrooms, 3½ bathrooms
Designers: Foster Design Farm (architecture), Studio IQL (interior design)
Builder: David W. Bard Carpenter Builder
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church was built in 1893 and served parishioners in rural Landenberg, Pennsylvania, until the 1960s. It then became the longtime home and studio of a locally renowned artist, who made minor modifications in order to make it livable. By the time the couple purchased it from the artist’s daughter a few years ago, it had sat vacant for many years. But the building’s yellow exterior and original character charmed them. And the husband, who had experience fixing up old houses on his own and with his late father, was undaunted. So they purchased it and hired a team that included architect Carrie Foster of Foster Design Farm and the interior designers at Studio IQL to do a full renovation, which was featured on the Magnolia Network TV series In With the Old.
Scroll to the bottom to see the new layout of each of the building’s three levels.
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