St. James’ Episcopal Church

14 Cornwall Street NW • Leesburg, Virginia 20176 • 703-777-1124 • 703-777-1129 (fax)

Dear Friend of St. James’,

On behalf of the Vestry and the Building Committee of St. James’ Episcopal Church, we are pleased to announce the selection of cox graae + spack (cgs) architects for the design and management of our upcoming renovation and expansion project.

As part of our 2006 Vision Document, we established this project as a key goal to be achieved over the next three to five years. As many of you well know, our current facilities are no longer adequate to support the parish’s needs: our Parish Hall and nursery are too small; classroom and multipurpose space cannot adequately support adult and youth education programs; some of our facilities are not accessible to persons with disabilities; and our physical infrastructure, including HVAC and electrical systems, needs to be upgraded and updated.

St. James’ Episcopal Church traces its history in Loudoun County back to the 1700s, and for almost 200 years our parish has worshipped in Leesburg. The current stone, timber, and slate Sanctuary was completed in 1897, while the Parish Hall, Rittenhouse extension, and Janney House were added to the original facility over the course of three previous expansions over the last 100 years. We plan to maintain the historic nature of our facilities while bringing their functionality up to modern standards.

Cox graae + spack was selected after an extensive, competitive review, interview and evaluation process, and is a nationally recognized architectural design firm with a professional staff of 24 based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1981, the firm has continued to distinguish itself as one of the region’s leading architectural firms, with over 50 regional and national design awards.

With a highly diverse portfolio, including projects similar to ours at St. James’, cgs’ expertise includes historic preservation, urban design, site planning, master planning, interior design, space planning, and programming in addition to architecture. The firm’s projects have consistently exhibited an intelligent balance between aesthetic design and functional, economical and sustainable design solutions.

We will be seeking your perspectives and input as we work with the architects in the months ahead. Ministry heads are now receiving requirement questionnaires to identify preliminary facility and program needs, and there will be other opportunities for your input as we progress. Also, we are pleased to announce that David Cox and Bill Spack, principals with cgs, will be introduced to the congregation at our Annual Meeting on January 7, 2007 (10:00 a.m., in the Nave). The requirements process will start soon thereafter, with an expected design completion and approval in early September 2007.

We thank you for your prayerful support as we embark upon this historic chapter in the life of St. James’, and we hope you will join us on January 7 to learn more about the project and our hopes for the future.

In faith,

Mary Frances Forcier Ron Kunz

Senior Warden Chair, Building Committee