VINCENTSEN BLASI ARCHITECTURE

Architect/Designer: Greg Blasi, RA

 

Builder: Malanga Construction Co., Inc.

 

Interiors: MPSB Studios

 

Immaculate Conception Church is a well-known church in the Archdiocese of Newark. The building was built as a church for the Crocker Estate workman and their families. Although the interior was worn out and inaccessible by a steep staircase to the sanctuary an issue, its beautiful stained glass windows and heavy stone English arts and crafts style exterior left a yearning to be restored.  Blasi Architecture and MPSB Studios as a joint venture provided architecture, interior, liturgical design, and construction administration services for the alteration and renovation.  This extensive church renovation consisted of providing new stair access to the sanctuary, complete sanctuary interior alteration, handicap access elevator to all floors, a confessional, new sacristies, and handicap toilets.

 

Upon approach, a parishioner may use a glass enclosure elevator entry for personal or coffin access to sanctuary level or enter into the new narthex and take an elegant staircase with Marion decorative rails and mid landing decorated with a Marion statue to the Sanctuary level. The sanctuary level hall provides a view into the naive thru a wide opening adorned with baptismal font, chrism oils, and statue niche of John the Baptist. The naive has new flooring, pews, decorative wall and radiator paneling, stone wood-framed panels with restored stations of the cross, flanking sanctuary niches with antique statuary of Mary and Joseph, and most dramatically the ceiling has been removed exposing existing wood trusses.  Stained wood ceiling boards have been installed between trusses, new task, architectural, and decorative lighting have been added. 

 

At the sanctuary, a dormer has been constructed to create a coffered arched ceiling. A new altar and Amboy have been custom designed and built. The existing choir loft has been renovated providing a beadboard ceiling, new lighting, and stepped floor platforms for visual access to the sanctuary. New sacristies and confessionals have been designed for modern needs while matching the detail of the entire renovation.  The project also entailed a complete heating and air conditioning system upgrade, audiovisual system, and church bell ringing modernization. This alteration has altered every surface of the original entry, naive, and sanctuary.  The intent has been to provide the interior experience with the same elegance and grace of the existing exterior architecture.