St. Patrick's Episcopal Mission
columbarium & memorial garden

The columbarium and memorial garden create a space for quiet reflection, the circular gesture of the columbarium wall providing a comforting embrace. Benches suggest a human presence even when the garden is empty, as do the grid of trees that blend into the forest edge.

The stone of the wall speaks to the endurance of memory. When ashes are interred, the dry-set stone covering the selected niche is removed, then honed and inscribed before being mortared back in place. Over time the columbarium is thus transformed from its rough initial state to a refined sheen, visibly recording the life of the community in its transformation. [This project was designed by Betsy West, AIA of studio 1 architects and Ellen Weinstein, AIA of Dixon Weinstein Architects, P.A.]

National Merit Award for Design Excellence - AIA Interfaith Forum on Religion, Art & Architecture
Merit Award - Inform Magazine: Architecture + Design in the Mid-Atlantic
Honor Award - American Institute of Architects, Charlotte Section
Merit Award - American Institute of Architects, Triangle Section