CPA Capital Campaign
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!” - Isaiah 6:8
Join the Story
Transforming Stories: The Campaign for Christ Presbyterian Academy wraps up this year with the opening of an incredible new arts and admin building. This campaign was unique in that it facilitated the Academy's largest and most forward-looking project in the history of our school.
The new spaces provided by this campaign will facilitate the transformative process we’ve envisioned since the school opened in 1985 by increasing opportunities for biblical community, hospitable access, and impact for God’s kingdom.
New Front Face
Through the development of an in-depth campus-wide master plan, the building is recognized as the new “front door” for the CPA campus. The approach and siting of the building give clear orientation to the academic campus, now more visible from Old Hickory Boulevard. Approaching the building on foot, the layering of hardscape and landscape serve to buffer the Arts building from automobile traffic and reorients visitors to a now pedestrian-centric campus. Expanding the entry sequence to the Arts building, celebrates the school’s idyllic pastoral setting and fosters a sense of awe for God’s creation.
Center for the Arts
The interior of 550 seat theater creates a sense of intimacy for patrons. The lighter wood tones of the lobby give way to a warmer hue, which reinforces the sense of enclosure within the large space. Gentle curves of the balcony fronts and boxes tie to the curves found in the lobby, and serve to give the space a sense of drama, referential to classic Broadway theater houses. Centering the space, the ornate Proscenium Arch stands in contrast to the clean lines found elsewhere within the theater. Here, this design element subtly references CPA iconography, central to the school’s storytelling, while framing the action found onstage.
Central Quad
The Arts building forms the fourth side of a central outdoor quad, a transformative centerpiece for the campus. The quad will not only serve as the pedestrian connector between the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, but also as a place to congregate throughout the year. A central lawn will play host to both formal and informal gatherings and is flanked on one side by an elevated stage. Along the perimeter, added trees soften the edges of the quad, and create more intimate transitional moments amongst the buildings.
Lobby Interior
The prominent lobby blurs the line between indoors and out. It invites curiosity and wonder through both the grand scale of the space as well as the restraint found in its simple, sculptural gestures. Gentle curves found on the interior of the lobby are echoed within the Theater Auditorium. They represent the creative expression fostered within the building, and serve as a counterpoint to the orthogonal brick massing found throughout the campus architecture. The use of natural light within the lobby is central to its design and is manifest in two ways – through the direct visual connection to the outdoors through the expansive glass entrance faćade, to the skylight above the central Feature Wall, which reinforces a visitor’s connection heavenward. At night, the lobby is transformed into a glowing lantern, further reinforcing the Salt and Light ethos of the academy.