Longstanding partnership helps TSP honor St. Mary’s history in designing latest expansion

This year, TSP celebrates 95 years as an architecture firm – a milestone that invites reflection on the relationships that have shaped the firm’s legacy.

One such example is the longstanding collaboration between the now multidisciplinary architecture, engineering, planning, and interior design firm and the Church of St. Mary.

From postwar expansion in the 1950s to modern-day campus planning, this partnership tells the story of shared values, architectural legacy, and mutual commitment to meet the evolving educational, liturgical, and administrative needs of the parish community.

“Working on St. Mary’s projects is a great blessing as it is such a well-known landmark within the Catholic community of Sioux Falls and the central neighborhoods of the city,” said Chase Kramer, an architect and firmwide director of design at TSP.

“It has a unique, pragmatic, mid-century styling that you don’t find in a lot of pre-Vatican II-era churches, yet because of its vintage, it still has this traditional approach to the overall layout and function of the spaces, and a modest degree of decor – it makes an addition or renovation a fun challenge to tie in to the existing architecture.”

St. Mary’s was founded in the late 1940s. A temporary church – previously used as a chapel at the air base – was moved to 29^th Street and Fifth Avenue South, where land had been secured for the new parish.

From there, the 1950s marked significant growth and collaboration.

During this decade, TSP completed major projects for the parish community, including the school in 1950, the gymnasium in 1951, the rectory in 1954, and the church in 1958.

First-generation partner Bill Bentzinger, the project designer and architect of record for the St. Mary’s Church project, underwent back surgery in 1956. During his recovery, a drafting board was set up over Bentzinger’s bed so he could continue working.

He pressed on with the design of St. Mary’s Church and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church (completed in 1959) during his recuperation.

Clergy from both congregations made regular visits to his bedside to check on the progress of their respective projects.

 The rectangular nave of St. Mary’s features tall stained-glass windows, laminated wood beams, and Venetian terrazzo on the floor. Italian travertine is used for the sanctuary floor, while the north wall of the nave is clad in Negro Marquina marble from Spain.

More recently, the longstanding partnership has continued with a campus-wide facilities condition assessment in 2019, a school master plan in 2020, a rectory and office design in 2021, and a redesign and bidding phase in 2023, which was prompted by strategic changes within the diocese.

The rectory and office project at St. Mary’s is scheduled for completion this fall.

“It is great to have so many connections there,” said Kramer, the architect for the project.

“I have enjoyed being able to share about the project from a catechetical standpoint to the diocesan building committee, talk about it with the men’s group I attend at St. Mary’s, give tours of the project to the sixth graders, help bolster my ability to take Sunday into Monday, and, most importantly, show my kids what daddy does at work every day.”

Following the facilities assessment at St. Mary’s, deficiencies were found in the original rectory.

The building had a failing roof, inadequate separation between residential and administrative spaces, deteriorating windows, and compromised privacy – including a direct line of sight between a rectory bedroom hallway and the church itself.

TSP was then entrusted to design a replacement for the office and rectory to provide added priest living quarters and clearly delineated and expanded office space.

The result will provide a separate home for 4-plus priests, including a fully accessible suite on the main level and a dedicated chapel.

The office addition is connected to the church, fully handicapped accessible, and designed to maintain security between the two spaces.

A new courtyard is created by connecting the existing church canopy to a new one in front of the office, and a new accessible confessional is also integrated into the final design.

“I have had a lot of people comment on how well the new building ties into the existing style of St. Mary’s, which is not an easy task to say the least,” said Fr. Paul Rutten, pastor of the Divine Mercy Pastorate, a group of three churches that includes St. Mary’s.

The new rectory and office project continues to reflect TSP’s commitment to the church’s history and evolving needs.

As the project nears completion, the legacy of St. Mary’s is as much about the process as it is about the structures.

“Collaborating with St. Mary’s has deepened my understanding of its rich history,” said Lucas Lorenzen, a structural engineer at TSP.

The experience, he said, added to his appreciation for the beauty of sacred spaces and its influence on spiritual awareness, and the role of design and maintenance.

“It also helps me understand the patience and process that often goes into the ultimate goal of building a church, Lorenzen said.

“Being a small part of the history of St. Mary’s is such an honor because each small or large project or decision is taken with that long and beautiful history in mind. Nothing is done in a vacuum or for a quick fix.”