Roncalli Newman
La Crosse, WI
Completion
2011
Type
Liturgical
The Roncalli Newman Center was built in 1962 to serve the Catholic community at the UW-La Crosse campus. The facility was originally designed to seat 250 people in a circular plan. The campus ministry, located 10 minutes from the Student Union, prospered and it became a 450-family parish in addition to serving a growing student population.
The renovation of the church preserves the distinctive in-the-round feel of the initial facility with quality seating for 500 persons. The renovated and expanded facility grows outward from the original circular Sanctuary with a skylight oculus hovering over the Altar. It retains the spiritual ethos of the original church in a renewed, contemporary way.
Renovations included a small addition to the front of the building to include church staff offices and a larger entry vestibule in the back with direct access to the parking lot.
