Palisades Presbyterian Church Ramp Addition
This past summer, the Palisades Presbyterian Church received a generous donation from one of its members to be used for, among other things, a new covered entrance to the pastor’s office on the east side of the church along with a sidewalk leading to that office and a handicap access ramp off the front of the building. The donors chose architect William Pfaff, a member of the church, to design the project. After church members approved his design the plan was submitted to the Historic Board (HABR) and the ZBA in November.
The Historic Board had no issue with the new side entrance plans but felt the design of the ramp, which ran back along the west side of the building and was faced in stone, was not appropriate to such a historic building and asked the architect to make changes. On January 21, residents of the community were invited to a meeting where the architect presented his design, with little change from his original plans. About fifty residents, among them four architects, several designers, a landscape designer and others offered suggestions and discussed options that was felt would better suit the rural character of the church and it’s surroundings. The Presbyterian Church is one of the few remaining historic buildings that represent the simple, rural nature of Palisades.
We all understand the church's need for an accessibility ramp and hope this project will move forward quickly and in a manner that will be pleasing to all.