Weston MA Greek Orthodox Church

The existing St Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church dated since 1959 had become too small for the expanding Greek community of Weston when they called us to submit an entry for a new church to replace the old one.

We proposed a scheme that uses the typology of Greek orthodox monasteries with the new church in the middle of the compound converting the old church to the community gathering hall for events. An L-shape cluster of offices, classrooms for the parish school and other functions are part of the perimeter wall that organizes the main courtyard and circulation paths in and out the church and the parish facilities while keeping the parking lot on the outer periphery. At the inner corner of the L-shaped community center a campanile rises completing and signaling the church from afar.

The new church is entered from two levels: the upper main level of the church from the north side of the parking lot and the lower level from the main courtyard where some of the most important ceremonies of the Greek Orthodoxy are officiated. While the dome of the old church - an essential feature of Greek Orthodox church architecture - remains the signature piece of the compound's architecture, the new church offers an interpretation of the dome in its curved ceiling.