Lutheran Church Missouri Synod Michigan Distric

ann arbor, michigan

The Michigan District Headquarters for the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod is located on the Concordia College campus in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This headquarters services a Lutheran congregation of 370 as well as 125 K-12 schools. The project entailed the complete renovation and reorganization of a 14,400 sf office building designed by the architect Alden Dow in the 1960’s. The two-story building is constructed of CIP concrete and has wood framing and brick veneer on the exterior. This addition unifies the operational element of the headquarters and includes additional office space and a distinctive conference room and media center. It also houses the district’s banking and lending functions (CEB), and provides a new entrance for CEB on the lower level, cut into the existing grade. An octagonal-shaped, 500 sf conference room with 18-foot vaulted ceilings and clerestory windows, is above the new entry and contains a custom designed octagonal shaped table. The form of the structure is intended to resemble a Scandinavian chapel, and has a steep pitched roof with a cross at the peak. The entrance was placed under the conference room in a plaza defined by brick piers and arches. The project also included a new elevator, new HVAC throughout the entire office building, parking located at the lower-level entrance, a reception desk, skylights at the lobby, and a corridor connecting the new conference room to the existing building.