A 2,753 square foot addition and bell tower for Mount Horeb United Methodist Church was designed to complement the existing structure and create a more open gathering space for the congregation and its community. NCI-Roberts Construction partnered with church member ARCH-AIDE Architects on the project.
The exterior features a combination of brick and stucco, with metal roofing. Narthex windows add a welcoming touch to the new front entry, which leads into a hospitality area, administrative space and pastor’s office.
The most conspicuous and meaningful change to the facade is the steeple. NCI-Roberts removed the existing steeple and constructed a new bell tower to house a 124-year old bell.
The bell was in the congregation’s original church built in 1904 on the corner of 3rd and Oak Streets in the Madison suburb, just down the street from the current Chamber of Commerce Welcome Center. When the current church on County Highway S was built in the 1980s, funding was so tight there wasn’t enough money to build a new tower for the bell.
The congregation put the bell in storage and then had it refurbished and mounted on wooden blocks in the church entrance for about 10 years.
The bell was refurbished in Ohio as part of this most recent project, and a special celebration was held to set it. NCI-Roberts and its subcontractor Ideal Crane Rental joined church members in a prayer and some photos before permanently placing the bell in the tower. The tower includes a shaft for future installation of an elevator, and a cross adorns the window.
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