Glenn Memorial Church Building Envelope Rehabilitation

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church was built in 1931 to serve as a sanctuary for the church as well as an auditorium for Emory University.

The building was designed by the renowned Atlanta architect Philip Trammell Shutze and was named for the Reverend Wilbur Fisk Glenn.

In 2012, Lord Aeck Sargent (LAS) prepared a comprehensive accessibility strategy to make the sanctuary ADA accessible at both the altar and in the congregational seating, supporting Emory’s use of the sanctuary for special events. The project included the design of a visually compatible addition to house support spaces such as restrooms and a bride’s room.

LAS then undertook an exterior envelope study for the sanctuary building that included slate re-roofing, along with gutter and downspout rehabilitation, and restoration of the cornice, windows and the stucco walls. The church was re-roofed with graduated Spanish Dover slate in keeping with the historic pattern and style. Copper roof areas and built-in copper gutters were replaced. One semi-enclosed roof area at the steeple was re-roofed with modified bitumen roofing. All exterior surfaces of windows and doors exteriors were painted and deteriorated wood was replaced. The University has future plans for the restoration of the stucco walls and interior coffered plaster side aisle ceilings.

Glenn Memorial continues to serve the greater Emory and Atlanta community as a gathering place, house of worship, performance venue and grand meeting space. Her new slate and copper roof systems will endure well into the next century.

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