Years of planning leads to new elevator at St. Matthew Church & School

There is no shortage of milestones at St. Matthew Lutheran Church & School, now in its 152nd year at the same location on Old McHenry Road in Hawthorn Woods.

However, few have been as uplifting, so to speak, as what's planned for Feb. 15.

That's the target for the dedication of an elevator to connect all three levels of the Sanctuary and office areas, a project envisioned when those "new" facilities were built in 1992, but didn't gather steam until the sesquicentennial a few years ago.

With seating for 800, the present sanctuary dwarfs the 100-seat facility known as the "old historic chapel." At the time, a shaft was incorporated as part of the construction but the actual elevator was left out of the project.

"There was designated space for the elevator. Where it's going in is where it was designed," said the Rev. Timothy Kinne, who has been with the congregation since August 2010.

"There was space built in the 1992 addition for an elevator, but due to financial constraints they were not able to fulfill that part of the project," said Doug Duval, church and school administrator.

By 2011, the table was being set for a 150th anniversary in October 2013. A threefold objective was formulated: eliminate the debt of the 1990s building project; renew and refurbish the campus through specific projects, including the elevator; and connect the congregation to area communities.

With all the work, fees and associated expenses, the elevator installation is estimated at about $220,000. Besides allowing for handicapped accessibility, it will provide relief from stair climbing for older parishioners. Primarily, it will be used to move people from the main sanctuary to Krueger Hall, which includes a banquet space, youth room and extended care area on the lower level, Kinne said.

The upper level will exit in the church balcony and provide access to the choir room.

The installation is the culmination of years of planning and fundraising. Those included a "thanks offering" that was part of the 150th anniversary celebration; a grant from the Kolschowski Family Foundation that matched $50,000 for every $100,000 raised by the church; donations from the St. Matthew Ladies Aid; and a grant for handicapped accessibility from the national Retirement Research Foundation.

Kinne added that technology has changed to allow for rails along the shaft walls. Measurements to build the elevator car were not taken until the shaft was prepared, a process that began last September.

"People don't know what's entailed," Duval said. "We found out we had to update our fire system. We learned a lot about our electrical systems and plumbing system."

The congregation helped choose the color - teak to match the existing woodwork - and features of the elevator car, he added.

Mayor Joe Mancino, architect David Lindquist and Dale Villiard, representing VanDer Werff Construction, the general contractor, are scheduled to be on hand for a ceremonial ribbon cutting and dedication of the elevator, which is thought to be the third in the largely residential village of about 7,800.