“ It’ s like that with church design, too— kind of imperceptible, at the time you’ re building, that it’ s not authentically Gothic Revival. But because its proportions are not based on authentic Gothic churches, it just looks like dated pastiche.” Instead— as COTI’ s new spaces prove— it’ s possible to borrow Gothic arches, stonework or other recognizable elements and, with authentic proportion, create spaces that are both beautiful and meaningful.
McKinney Avenue, placing the fellowship and education spaces between the existing church and Ascension Chapel. A connecting corridor helped tie the various components together. The overall effect is unity— which, as Burton emphasizes, was wholly intentional.“ By placing the new spaces that way, people wouldn’ t feel as though we were two churches sharing space,” he says.“ Instead, we’ re one parish family with different services.”
Beyond bricks and mortar In designing the new spaces at COTI, it was important that their architecture complement the existing church rather than competing with it. To ensure this, HH Architects worked with the congregation to develop Gothic Revival-style additions that echoed important architectural elements of the historic campus. For example, the new chapel features traditional slate flooring and Gothic-inspired lighting, while the education and welcome areas incorporate related design elements. Burton himself was a fount of knowledge to draw upon. His familiarity with— and appreciation for— Gothic Revival church architecture is evident in the chapel’ s and reception building’ s ceilings, for instance. Here, the use of open-timber beams drew inspiration from Westminster Hall in London and creates a visual relationship between the new spaces. Burton’ s fondness for this architectural style goes beyond aesthetics; for him, the most recognizable elements of Gothic Revival church design communicate something about how the congregation understands worship. Rather than taking a“ consumerist, secular view” of the buildings— that they’ re purely functional— Burton points out that that’ s not how Episcopalians or Anglicans have traditionally thought about church design.“ I’ ve always thought that there was an important connection between the music of the church, the architecture of the church, and the liturgy of the church,” he says.“ So, I was interested not just in theology per se, but how that gets taught and informs the souls of the worshipers through the architecture.”
A tall( but not impossible) order Rather than trying to create a contemporary interpretation of a traditional style, Burton’ s best advice for leaders of historic or architecturally significant churches is to be“ absolutely Draconian” in a few areas of a building project.“ First, I’ d tell them to be very rigorous in terms of getting the proportions right,” he explains.“ I would always recommend using models of very successful older churches. Otherwise, you can end up with a sort of 1970s homage to Gothic revival, which defeats the purpose.” Case in point: a contemporary church designed in 1975 looks much different than a contemporary church designed today.“ It’ s very subtle,” Burton explains.“ Remember avocado-colored appliances in the 1970s? Within 15 years, we just said, Ah, that’ s so out of date. Was it their color? No one really knows.
Don’ t lead the project alone Although Burton was the senior leader when COTI undertook the project, he is quick to correct the impression that the building program was his personal undertaking.“ It wasn’ t true,” he says.“ We had wonderful committees— people in the congregation, lots of enthusiasm, lots of participation.” Critically, he adds, the HH Architects team was the ideal building partner for the project.“ They were really fun to work with— so great and so accommodating and so interested and engaged,” he recalls.“ And I think that they actually had fun. We worked very well together.”
Remember what the building is for Maybe the most compelling lesson from COTI is also the hardest to quantify— that beauty has a place in the life of a church.“ A well-designed church proclaims the gospel in stone and glass,” Burton says.“ At night, if you look at a church with lovely stained-glass, the windows are just kind of black. But in the daytime, the light comes beaming in, and it’ s a symbol of divine grace.“ So, God is with us in church. We’ re not spectators.” Perhaps most importantly, Burton says, design communicates what the church believes about the people who gather there. With its height, mystery, light and connection to centuries of Christian worship, Gothic architecture can remind worshipers that the architecture doesn’ t provide all the answers.“ You can’ t sit anywhere in the church and see everything,” he says.“ There’ s always lots of mystery and suggestions that are just out of view.“ That speaks very much to the providence of God: how He is working in your life, and in the world around you at any given moment, is not all revealed to you,” Burton explains.“ A lot is revealed in the scriptures, but in terms of your life, personally— how it will end, what path is God leading you on— it isn’ t obvious.“ So, it’ s‘ architecture for adults,’ in a way,” he concludes.“ If you’ re a new Christian and you’ re 16, 17, you might think you can learn everything from the Bible and that everything’ s an open book to you. This type of architecture says, no, no, no. God has His own plans, and He doesn’ t reveal them to you until the right time.”
12 CHURCH EXECUTIVE | JULY / AUGUST 2026