In the Spring of 2014, Henninger's Inc. was contacted by St. Christopher Church in Rocky River, Ohio to look at their outdated and non-functional priests' sacristy. After some water damage to the sacristy that needed repair and with the renovations that had taken place in the previous years to the Church, the only remaining part of the plant that needed an upgrade was the priests' sacristy. Because of a lack of space for vestments, a too-small sacristy sink, a dated cabinet that was too deep and a wall that was non-functional, St. Christopher tasked Henninger's with coming up with a design to renovate the cabinetry and transform the sacristy, done in concert with repairing the water damage, re-painting the sacristy, and outfitting the room with new light fixtures to brighten up the space.
In looking at the existing furniture, the determination was made to remove the sink cabinet and replace it with a more functional cabinet with a new granite top, incorporating both a new, larger and more functional sink and an additional vestment case.
In looking at the cabinet that held the liturgical books, linens, paraments, and stoles, the determination was made that the current design was fine, but that replacing the current nicked-up wood top with a granite top would bring the design of the room together as it would more closely match the new vestment case/sink cabinet that would be constructed.
Finally, a wall that provided no additional storage was examined, with a design created to match the paneled doors in the room and the new cabinetry that would be created.
With the designs approved, Henninger's craftsmen went to work fabricating the cabinetry and cutting the new granite tops to fit into the space and accommodate the new sink:
Once all of the furniture was completely constructed and the granite tops were ready for installation, Henninger's went to work repairing all of the water damage in the sacristy, then painted the sacristy to brighten up the room. When the repairs and painting was complete, Henninger's installers arrived to replace the top on the cabinet that would be staying in place.
With the granite top set, Henninger's crew turned their attention to removing the existing cabinet that would be replaced, then to installing the newly created cabinetry, complete with new sink, a place to "hide" the sacristy fridge, and the extra vestment cabinet. Once in place, Henninger's matched the stain of the other furniture in the sacristy, waiting until it was in place to ensure a perfect match.
Finally, Henninger's crew went to work installing the newly created cabinet under the statue of the Holy Family, providing the Church with more storage and with a piece of furniture that properly finished the space.
Ultimately, the renovation achieved the goal of providing the Church with a more functional sacristy that was more aesthetically pleasing while incorporating design elements from elsewhere in the Church. The result was a "new" sacristy that looked as if it had always looked that way - perfectly fitting into the rest of the Church while giving the priests a much more suitable and functional sacristy.
