Churches Hot in Sin City

Yes, Las Vegas is a place of all-night wild partying.

The city also leads the nation in per-capita church construction, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

And nobody understands the numbers better than SR Construction, a 13-year-old Las Vegas-based builder specializing in church design and construction. The 26-employee firm recorded about $35 million in revenue last year, one-third of which came from church work.

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"The hot trend in national church construction is a mall concept, incorporating multi-purpose rooms, day care, food and playgrounds," said Scott Loughridge, the company's president. "We are seeing a shift from traditional churches to more modern-looking facilities with flexible space."

SR is working on the fourth phase of the 54,726-sq.-ft. Calvary Community Assembly Church, at 2900 N. Torrey Pines Drive in Las Vegas. SR is responsible for two of the church's previous three phases.

Unlike publicly funded projects, church construction is often financed through private pledges and donations. As such, it's not uncommon for work to occur piecemeal in multiple phases over several years.

"Typically, parishioners are non-builders who are volunteering their time in order to help oversee construction," said Loughridge, who is trained as an architect. "Our job is to help them develop a program and budget, and maintain it until the building is complete."

The 20-acre Calvary Church campus consists of a 24,536-sq.-ft. church with offices (phases one and two), plus a $2.25 million, 12-classroom school and day-care facility (phase three). There are roughly 283 surface parking spaces.

A new $2.3 million, 24,500-sq.-ft. community center, the most recent work, was completed in January.

Designed by Las Vegas-based JMA Architecture Studios, the steel-framed block building consists of a basketball court, locker rooms, kitchen and storage area. Scott Zemp Masonry is the block contractor. The center also contains a 2,000-sq.-ft. stage and retractable bleachers accommodating 1,500 people.

"Just as they were centuries ago, churches again are becoming the center of communities," said Greg Barron, president of the National Association of Church Design Builders, an Arlington, Texas.-based non-profit trade group. "People are trying to find a place to ground themselves."

The Las Vegas structure uses 18 steel roof trusses, measuring 80 -ft.- long, to create a column-free interior. The building has a soft gray stucco exterior with recesses and cultured stone accents. Additionally, there are six stainless glass windows. The colorful openings, which measure 8-ft. in diameter, line the length of the building.

Set atop a 1,400-cu.-yd. concrete spread foundation, the 41-ft.-tall, single-level community center also has a steeple and tile roof. Red Rose Roofing of Las Vegas was the contractor.

"The value and quality of the project is excellent, and it was completed on time and on budget," said Stan Steward, Calvary's senior pastor. "I feel sure that we will use S.R. Construction again on our next building phase."

A planned fifth phase calls for a 25,000-sq.-ft. sanctuary with auditorium-style seating for 1,500 parishioners. Although still under design, the new sanctuary could break ground in late 2005.