Christian Science Church gets makeover

For several years now, local piano teachers and musicians have approached the church about renting the church edifice.

Lloyd Walworth of the Walworth Music Foundation, and director of the Cascade Singers Choir, has said, “The acoustics in the Christian Science Church is one of the best in The Dalles.”

The new ramp and landscaping came about after the church membership unanimously voted to build a new, more durable surface for the entrance, which had several large cracks, said church secretary Tiffany Meligan-Chapman.

“We soon found that our entrance needed to be completely redone; old slate tiles removed, new concrete poured in, and an entirely new ramp that turned into a beautiful woodland path which intersects with the stair walkway at the entrance of the church edifice.

“It’s very lovely, and we encourage people to stop by and enjoy it. Quail and a red tail hawk have been spotted many times seeking refuge in the foliage of the trees and bushes.”

The ADA-compliant ramp was designed, created and put in by owner and designer, John Frazer of Stamp the Earth, located in The Dalles.

“After an in-depth design for the Christian Science Church that included a fundamental change to the existing landscape to create a new pathway, walls and a ramp, I put great care and consideration into making sure the overall concept tied into the church’s historic qualities, and the beautiful architecture,” Frazer said.

“This grand renovation was the culmination of decorative stamped and stained concrete along with 3D walls along the ramp, hand carved rock retaining walls and giant stone steps, all of which were stained and stamped concrete,” he said.

The church’s original walkway was slippery and there were several broken tiles near the steps. It was proposed that a wheelchair ramp be put in next to the stairs using long-lasting, slip resistant materials.

Frazer was able to create interior walls along the ramp look similar to nearby rock formations, giving it a cohesive and natural look. After Frazer installed the ramp this winter, the front landscaping of the church required a complete renovation. Originally installed by Mount Hood Gardens in 1998, it won owner and landscape designer Marion McNew a prestigious national landscaping design award.

She was asked to again design the church landscaping. “The new path and ramps that were created run across nearly the complete front landscape and dissect it,” McNew said.

“The necessary concrete, though expertly designed and crafted, resulted in a rather stark and dominant look, therefore a completely new approach was decided upon by the church leadership and” McNew, she said.

“All lawn areas were eliminated, lowering water needs, and the grades were changed to accommodate the ramps and new landscaping. The new design specified plantings that are flowing and naturalistic, with interesting textures and color schemes, but also streamlined, with liberal plant repetition that soften and screen the tall ramp walls,” McNew said. “The shady south border along the bluff displays a peaceful woodland style that gradually introduces the beautiful architecture of the church that was erected in 1945,” she said.

A new irrigation system was installed, custom-tailored to the new plantings, by Alford Landscape Services of Hood River. The plantings were finished in April and are now thriving.