Renovations are underway at Aspire Church San Marco, and community members can see the updates happening in real time as construction crews have cordoned off the church’s entrance on San Marco Place.
The former entry vestibule has already been removed to make way for an updated porte cochère, part of a larger effort to facilitate smoother transportation as vehicles and buses drop off passengers at the church’s entrance.
Inside the building, churchgoers and community members will see a larger, updated welcome area, explained Senior Paster Gary Lee Webber.
The church will remain open and active throughout these renovations, which are expected to be complete by December or January, Webber said, with access available through different entry points throughout the week and on weekends. On Sundays, congregants can enter the sanctuary directly through the entrance on San Marco Boulevard near the fire station or through the entrances in the prayer gardens. The Auld and White construction crews ensure the interior hallway is passable on weekends so guests can safely move through the building, though that interior space is completely closed off during the week.
During the week, the only entrance is via the San Marco Community Center off Hendricks Avenue.
“We meet [people] there and walk them through a maze to get them where they need to be,” Webber said.
The work currently underway at Aspire is phase two of the Bridge Initiative, which Webber described as a “larger master plan to continue to help us fulfill our vision of making our building a house of prayer for all nations.”
This second phase will address updates to the main entry, the connection from the main parking lot to that entry, and improve pedestrian safety as churchgoers cross San Marco Place to reach the church. These safety improvements include updated sidewalks, including a designated crossing area between the parking lot and the church.
The design team for this renovation project comprises JayCox Architects and Associates, Auld and White Constructors, and Group 4 Design, Inc.
Webber said the community can expect minimal disruption or impact from the construction as this phase progresses, with the possibility of temporary delays when curb work begins. However, there are no anticipated road closures that would impact traffic for extended periods.
Following the completion of these renovations, a third phase of the Bridge Initiative will include a new, larger welcome center for the San Marco Community Center off Hendricks Avenue, though the church will not immediately roll into that next phase after the one currently underway is completed. Phase three will also include new first-floor restrooms in the community center, a renovated kitchen and updated hallway.
Webber said no dates have been set yet for Phase Three.
“Phase Three is a little further along, but we won’t execute those plans until we’re certain financially that we’re in a good place to do that,” Webber said.