St. James Catholic Church

Belvidere, IL
St. James Catholic Church is a local landmark, dating to 1886. By 2012, the church had become outdated and could no longer accommodate its worshippers. The church required a significant expansion in seating capacity and upgraded facilities. With additions totaling more than 13,000 square feet, church officials wanted the new structure to reflect the historic look of the original building.

Architectural precast concrete panels with a custom formliner were used to replicate the existing brick appearance on the new spaces. They comprise a two-story north addition of 5,200 square feet per floor, a three-story, 2,730 square foot stair/elevator tower, and a 175 square foot steeple tower at the entrance.

A customized formliner replicated the original distorted brick. The precast was stained using a multi-color stain system, keeping the mortar joints as the base concrete color. Portions of the panels were also clad with natural stone.

PRECAST ELEMENTS

4,900 square feet of Hollowcore
77 Precast Wall Panels (18,700 square feet)

PARTNERS

GC: Rockford Structures
Architect & EOR: Larson & Darby Group