Second Baptist Church, Richmond Heights, MO
This mid-century modern church, originally designed by famed St. Louis architect, Frederick Dunn, features captivating stained glass windows painted by Siegfried Reinhardt and created by the Emil Frei Glass Co. The design team explored various alternatives to revitalize the space with light, but ultimately chose to maintain the historic appearance of the sanctuary. The lighting stayed inconspicuous by retrofitting existing fixtures and concealing new track behind beams.
The existing lighting for this building consisted of a dozen 750W incandescent fixtures from 1958. The space was bright during the daytime but barely functional at night. LED retrofit kits in existing fixtures now provide ten times the light while consuming less than half the watts. In addition to that, track lights with LED spots can accentuate key features of the auditorium and a new dimming system provides the ability to create different scenes during a service. For an extra-special touch, small custom-painted accent lights graze the brick to create a visual rhythm and bring out the rich texture. The result was new splendor brought to an old building that had not previously realized its own beauty.
The existing lighting for this building consisted of a dozen 750W incandescent fixtures from 1958. The space was bright during the daytime but barely functional at night. LED retrofit kits in existing fixtures now provide ten times the light while consuming less than half the watts. In addition to that, track lights with LED spots can accentuate key features of the auditorium and a new dimming system provides the ability to create different scenes during a service. For an extra-special touch, small custom-painted accent lights graze the brick to create a visual rhythm and bring out the rich texture. The result was new splendor brought to an old building that had not previously realized its own beauty.
