HOUSTON – (Realty News Report) – St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, attended for many years by the late President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush, has completed a $66 million construction and improvements program that unfolded over five years.
Largest Episcopal Church in the Nation
Located in the Memorial/Tanglewood area just north of the Galleria, St. Martin’s is recognized as one of the largest Episcopal congregations in the United States. The extensive expansion added five new buildings to the campus and installed a custom-designed pipe organ—the Magnificat Organ—positioned in the balcony at the rear of the main sanctuary.
The church was the site of the funeral services for President George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush in 2018. The Bush family residence in Houston was a short distance away, on a gated cul-de-sac.
Honorary Campaign Co-Chairs Included James A. Baker
Honorary co-chairs for the campaign included President and Mrs. Bush and former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III and Mrs. Susan Garrett Baker. The church’s dedication, blessing and consecration ceremonies were led by the Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., together with the Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly, former Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.
New and renovated facilities on the St. Martin’s campus include:
Christ Chapel: Housed in the shell of the church’s historic “Old Church,” Christ Chapel was recreated with an intimate, Gothic-inspired design and seating for 195 worshippers. The chapel features 14 stained-glass windows—seven on each side of the nave—and a prominent Rose Window above the altar. The Magnificat Organ sits in the chapel balcony, enhancing liturgy and music.
Parish Life Center: Built on the west side of the campus, this flexible multi-use building contains a modern worship space that can be reconfigured for dinners, concerts, meetings, films and other events. The main hall accommodates up to 750 people.
Additional campus improvements include a Music Center with a choir practice hall, music library and administrative offices; a Children’s Life Center with updated Sunday School classrooms and a nursery; and a Pastoral Care Center that offers a bride’s parlor, clergy offices, meeting rooms and a Chapel Reception Hall. Visitors also find a new Welcome Center, a Gift Shoppe and expanded administrative facilities.
The church is located at 717 Sage Avenue, near Woodway Drive, west of Loop 610 and adjacent to Memorial Park. After leaving the White House, President Bush maintained an office nearby at the Park Laureate building at 10000 Memorial Drive.
Aug. 22, 2021 Realty News Report Copyright 2021
Photo credit: Mark Scheyer.
For additional context on Texas real estate, see the book Houston 2020: America’s Boom Town – An Extreme Close Up by Ralph Bivins (ebook and print editions available).
File: President Bush’s Church Expands with $66 Million in Construction. 2021 St. Martin’s
File: St. Martin’s Episcopal — President Bush’s Church Expansion: James A. Baker, Barbara Bush, Sage Road, Woodway Drive, Susan Garrett Baker, Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., and the Rt. Rev. Don A. Wimberly.