Nestled atop a hillside rising out of a sprawling Texas landscape, St. Francis Chapel stands as a transcendent buttress. Located on a 20,000-acre ranch near Breckenridge, the private Catholic chapel is one thousand square feet of handcrafted, artisanal design, featuring materials inspired by the surrounding terrain.

Its masonry walls are thick with natural, geologically-inspired solid stone coursing, and its trusses are of heavy timber. It boasts an array of reclaimed materials, such as the clay tile roof, chandeliers and entry sconces, and a stone roof cross located at the rear nave. The ponderous entry doors are made of mesquite handcrafted by a local artisan, as are the pews located in the nave.

Broken cast glass mosaic windows line either side of the chapel, and a stained glass window by Buell Designs draws the eye down the center of the 20-seat nave to the raised mesquite chancel.A glass-enclosed sitting room located off the entry vestibule offers serene views of the surrounding ranch, connecting occupants to the natural world St. Francis of Assisi—to whom the chapel is dedicated—loved so much.

Located at the corner of Oak Lawn and Wycliffe avenues, Park Cities Presbyterian Church is a 1940s postwar “Baptist Gothic” style building that rests in its locale as an integral part of the neighborhood. SHM Architects spearheaded the remodel of the already existing sanctuary and reconfiguration of the chancel area. The remodel and reconfiguration included all-new, custom-designed furnishings for the chancel and the installation of a Schoenstein & Co. pipe organ.

Additionally, SHM worked with PCPC’s renovation committee to determine the theological meaning of each piece of furniture and its placement in the worship space. The pulpit, for example, is a handcrafted structure of iron and wood. Shafts of wheat and intermittent weeds crawl up the iron legs of the bottom half, referencing the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13, and various symbols of the gospel are carved into the oak top.

The end result of the renovation is that of a light, open sanctuary, rich and heavy with meaning in subtle details that proclaims the gospel even in silence.

For a decade, SHM Architects has worked with Providence Presbyterian Church to craft and implement a multi-phase Master Plan for their North Dallas campus.

In 2008, renovations to Providence Presbyterian Church’s 1970s building included a complete remodel of the sanctuary, classrooms, and offices. As with all its sacred projects, SHM sought to first understand the neighborhood and community in which the church was located, then reflect that understanding in the design of the renovations.

Most recently, with a completion date of September 2018, SHM has designed a classroom annex building at the northeast corner of the site. Adding twelve new classrooms, a multipurpose children’s space, and 120 new parking stalls, the project was designed to support ministry area expansion for years to come.

Future phases in the campus master plan include a 10,000 square foot, 800-seat sanctuary that will enclose a cloister garden west of the classroom annex.