Washington, DC
Church of the Advent
Scope/Solutions
Looking for a more permanent home for its congregation, Church of the Advent purchased and undertook a project to renovate the former home of Third Baptist Church in Washington’s Shaw neighborhood. The project included modernizing the 1893 building, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, while preserving its exterior character and liturgical significance. SGH provided structural engineering services for the renovation project that included adding seating capacity in the main sanctuary, updating space for administration and educational functions in the annex building, improving accessibility between building levels, and upgrading building systems to support year‑round use.
As the structural engineer of record for the project, SGH collaborated with the architectural and the construction teams to address field conditions and accomplish the renovations. We documented existing conditions and identified key structural elements affected by the proposed renovation, informing repair strategies and minimizing impacts to the historic structure. Highlights of our design include the following:
- Structural repairs for the first- and second-floor wood framing to address deterioration and support revised loading conditions
- Repair details for the existing roof timber truss system, restoring capacity while maintaining the character of the newly exposed historic framing
- Structural components for a new lift, including the elevator pit foundation, framing around floor openings, and guard and rail attachments
- An exposed steel truss diaphragm at the attic level to provide lateral load resistance, including custom wood and steel connection details to integrate the new system with the existing roof truss
Project Summary
2026
Key team members
