Concordia Seminary, St. Louis has adopted a visionary campus master plan which is designed to ensure that the Seminary will continue to provide the best possible environment for the formation of future pastors. It involves new construction and significant improvements to existing campus facilities over the next 15 years.

The process which produced the campus master plan began more than one year ago when Dr. John F. Johnson, president of Concordia Seminary, appointed a campus master plan committee. The master plan committee selected Mackey Mitchell Associates, a nationally-recognized architectural and planning firm to develop the campus master plan. "It became quite clear to us that Mackey Mitchell was the right firm for the task at hand," said Ed Dollase, vice president for administrative services at Concordia Seminary.

Mackey Mitchell Associates received input regarding campus needs and priorities from all portions of the Seminary community in designing the master plan. Following many meetings and campus-wide hearings, the plan was finalized. It was unanimously approved by the Seminary's Board of Regents in its October 2000 meeting.

According to Dollase, elements of the campus master plan have been prioritized and organized into two main phases. While the entire master plan encompasses the next 15 years, phase one improvements are planned for implementation over the next eight years, and phase two items are scheduled for implementation in years 9-15.

Major elements of the first phase include the renovation of the Seminary's current dining facilities, thorough renovation of Wyneken Auditorium, classroom upgrades, additional on-campus married student housing, faculty and staff office improvements, rerouting of the campus road system and increased parking capacity.

Initial plans for renovation of the Seminary's dining facilities have generated an enthusiastic response throughout the Seminary community. These plans include joining the two existing dining halls (Koburg and Wartburg) with a "great room" to accommodate larger groups and to provide an inviting atmosphere where students could gather for snacks and conversation during the day. The kitchen facilities also will undergo significant design changes to facilitate greater efficiency.

The second phase includes expansion and renovation of the Seminary's library, expansion of the Seminary's field house including the construction of an attached student services center, construction of a continuing education center and the joining-together of several buildings which are currently separated.

Dollase noted that the entire master plan has been carefully structured so that it can be implemented in separate, component parts. When completed, however, the result will be a unified plan that makes the best possible use of campus facilities while maintaining their architectural beauty and grandeur.

The Clara and Spencer Werner Foundation of Paris, Ill. provided the funding for the development of the plan through a generous grant.

For more information, contact Rev. Glen Thomas, vice president for seminary relations, Concordia Seminary, 801 DeMun Ave., St. Louis, Mo. 63105; 314-505-7371.