Welcome to Holy Ascension’s Builder Search page!
This page last updated: November 10th, 2024.
We hope to gather together all of the relevant information a prospective builder might want to know on this page. We would love to hear from anyone who might be interested in this project. You can contact Fr Joshua Frigerio at 269-830-6297, or send an email to . If you are interested, please let us know what else to add here that would be helpful to know.
Summary: We are looking for a builder who would like to build our new church at 13526 29 Mile Rd, Albion MI 49068. It is a ten acre square lot, on which there is currently a building, which will become our church hall/office area. The new church will be 50 feet south of the current building and will be connected by a breezeway.
As you will see from the plans, this will be no ordinary modern church. We hope its traditional old-world style will attract a builder who is interested in more than simply a utility space, but something profound and beautiful, which will be built to last for centuries. To get a sense of what we’re after, and the ethos of the whole project, please see our “Holy Ascension Building Project” page. In short, we are committed to the aesthetic and transcendent aspects of this project.
Resources:
- Here is the external rendering from our designer from the south and west.
- Here are the latest architectural drawings in PDF format. Here are the same plans in CAD (.dwg) format. These are the “95%” drawings, updated 11/7/2024. Still in-progress are the engineering details (plumbing, electric, HVAC).
- Here is a picture of the 3D modeled site plan.
- Here are several internal renderings taken from views using Rhinoceros 3D modeling of the building. The source Rhino 3D file is here.
- Here is a detailed topographical survey in PDF format, and here is the CAD (dwg) format of the same survey.
- To see what would be involved in building something like this, you may find it helpful to view some construction pictures of a very similar building currently going up in West Virginia. It was designed by the same person and has many identical features: dome, arches, etc. Here are the 100% finished plans for that church.
- Our church’s designer is Andrew Gould of New World Byzantine Designs. Our local architect of record is Jeannette Woodard of Woodard & Associates Architects, Inc. of Jackson, Michigan.
- The site plan has already gone through Sheridan Township’s planning commission process and has been approved by the township Board.
The site: The location is just off I-94 for easy access, and literally around the corner from a large concrete company (Shafer Redi-mix). We have already done much site work to clear trees, arrange for drainage and utilities, parking and driveways, a cemetery, etc. We plan to have the site completely ready for construction of the main church shortly. The building that is already there has bathrooms, a kitchen, and plenty of space (3K sq ft) and tables for eating, planning, storage of tools, taking breaks etc., which we plan to make available during the construction phase. We also have a 30×40 pole barn on site that can be used for storing construction equipment. The site is flat and has plenty of staging room around the area where the church will be placed.
Building phase: We are now hoping to find a construction firm and Construction Management Agent to work with us and our architect to help us realize our vision. Our current estimates for cost have us at about 2.5 million, but this will be subject to all the details yet to be figured out and the time frame.
At this point in the process (November 2024) we would like to invite anyone with potential interest in this project to review resources above and be in contact with us so that we can keep you informed of any updates. We would also welcome any suggestions for revisions or changes that would be helpful as we move toward a construction schedule. And if there is anything about this project that makes it undesirable from a builder’s perspective, we would certainly appreciate the feedback.
Thank you and may God bless you!
Fr Joshua Frigerio, priest of Holy Ascension Orthodox Church of Albion, Michigan.