Just call it “The Den.”
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and School has announced the official name of its $5.89 million gymnasium and multi-purpose facility now under construction.
“It wasn’t a process where three guys in a room came up with a name,” St. Peter’s Director of Development Scott Schumacher said.
Instead, a church committee and students chose “The Den” from a list of potential names because it is the home of the Lions, which is the name of the school’s athletic teams, Schumacher said.
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Located east of the school near downtown, the new facility is bordered by Fifth, California, Fourth and Chestnut streets.
Six months after construction began in June, the two-level, 16,623-square-foot building designed by David Force is now about 80% complete, Schumacher said.
The project was put on the fast track to ensure it would have the heat required for the installation of the gym floor as winter settles in this month. For the most part, the hardwood flooring should be completed by Christmas, the development director said.
Most of the remaining work will involve putting up drywall in the hallways, as well as completing the concession stand, bathrooms and locker rooms, Schumacher said.
Bleachers will be installed that are capable of holding more than 600 people. That’s more than sufficient to hold the entire student population of 455 during an all-school convocation, Principal Paul Meredith said.
“We won’t have any more students forced to sit on the floor,” Meredith said.
Church and school officials are hopeful the facility could be occupied by the time students return from spring break on March 23. However, Meredith and Schumacher said finishing touches such as landscaping and exterior painting will continue well after the facility opens.
Leaders at St. Peter’s say they are not yet prepared to announce a definitive completion date. But when the new facility becomes completely functional, Schumacher said there will be an open house and celebration that will feature current and former students.
Tradition and support
The celebration is likely to draw quite a crowd. A total of $6 million in contributions has already been pledged over the next three years for “The Den,” with about half that amount already in hand, Schumacher said.
Leaders attribute the strong financial support to the fact that St. Peter’s Lutheran Church has been in Columbus for more than 160 years — and the school for more than 150 years.
“We’ve got several families with up to seven consecutive generations who attended our school,” Meredith said.
Meredith said he believes the most significant reason for the support stems from a loyal Lutheran community that has faith in both the church and school.
“They know we lift our students up to become better Christians, better students and better citizens,” Meredith said.
Following the plan
The idea of developing a joint gym and multi-purpose facility was first proposed in 2015 when St. Peter’s developed a five-year plan, Schumacher said. That plan also included the church’s Life/Works ministry, which provides intensive outpatient program and counseling for substance abuse.
Compared to the current gym that was built in the 1960s, “The Den” will be a substantial upgrade, St. Peter’s athletic director Tony Wittman said.
The size of the school’s main gymnasium will more than double — from 5,500 square feet to 11,220 square feet.
With six basketball hoops above the hardwood, the school will be able to offer a lot more flexibility with practices and games, as well as the opportunity to host bigger tournaments, Wittman said.
“We have eight basketball teams” Wittman said. “In terms of scheduling in our current gym, we have teams forced to practice at night. That is difficult.”
The current gym is expected to be used by younger students, while older students will utilize the new facility in “The Den,” Wittman said.
Many home games for seventh and eighth grade teams are played at other facilities, he said. “It will also be nice not having to ship them over to Columbus North, Central (Middle School) or wherever to practice,” Wittman said. “They can do it here.”
Another problem is that stray volleyballs have taken out several ceiling lights in the old gym, or gotten stuck in the roof support beams, Schumacher said. That won’t happen in the new facility, where the the two volleyball courts will be of regulation height and width, he said.
The new facility will also give the school more flexibility, allowing multiple physical education classes to be held at the same time, Wittman said.
More than a gym
“The Den” will be much more than a gym, school officials emphasized.
On the second floor, accessible by elevator as well as stairs, there will be more than 2,500 square feet of multi-purpose space, including a balcony over the main entrance that will be useful for small group instruction or socializing. The space could be used for conferences and workouts or small worship services presentations and community movie nights, school officials said.
“The possibilities are endless,” Schumacher said. “Every aspect of our ministry will be able to use this facility in some way.”
While allowing the new building doesn’t look like the rest of the church and school, Schumacher says the facility does provide a design element to the Fifth Street architectural corridor that links it with the Columbus Engine Plant of Cummins, Inc. to the east, as well as other neighboring buildings. The architect changed his original design twice before final approval was given.
Meredith said he sees “The Den” as an opportunity to keep the church’s ministry growing and make a real impact on lives throughout Bartholomew County — not just within the St. Peter’s community.
“The sooner we can open up “The Den” to the community, the better it will be for St. Peter’s,” the principal said. “It helps people see who we are, what we do and how we can be impactful in the lives of others.
Wittman said the facility will be important in representing St. Peter’s throughout the region and “help us put a better foot forward with those members of the community who come in here.”
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Barring unforeseen circumstances, the hardwood gymnasium floor now being installed in the St. Peter’s Den is expected to last a half-century.
But when it is replaced around the year 2070, something resembling a time capsule will be revealed.
After the concrete floor was poured, the school invited students in late November to get a sneak peek of the gym. Some students were permitted to write messages ranging from personal greetings to Bible verses in the wet concrete.
While those messages will remain invisible under three layers of subflooring, as well as the hardwood itself, the words will likely be revealed again when the current students reach age 50 to 60.
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1853 – Five founders (Henry Fehring, Ernst Kaiser, August Kiel, Gustave Kiel and August Geiker) form St. Peter’s German Evangelical Church.
1858 – As more German Lutherans move into the area, the founders purchase a 75 by 150 foot lot on the southeast corner of 5th and Sycamore streets. They erect a frame building that first served as a church, but later as both a sanctuary and a school.
1871 – Due to growth, a brick building for the church was dedicated in 1871, while the wood building remained to serve exclusively as the church.
1877 – The church builds a second school four-and-a-half miles west of Columbus.
1882 – More land near 5th and Sycamore is purchased for a parsonage.
1904 – Growth prompts church leaders to build a new Gothic church sanctuary capable of holding 500 people.
June 22, 1986 – With church membership nearing 2,500, groundbreaking for what we now know as St. Peter’s Lutheran Church and School is held.
May 1, 1988 – The first worship service in the new sanctuary was held.
Sources: The Columbus Republican (July 3, 1903) and History of Bartholomew County, Volumes I and II, published by the Bartholomew County Historical Society.
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