St. Thomas Church and Cemetery

Location:  Whitemarsh, Pennsylvania
Client:  Landscape Committee St. Thomas Church
Master Plan Completion Date:  2011

St. Thomas’ Church is one of the oldest churches within Montgomery County, dating back to 1698.  The historic cemetery includes the graves of 12 veterans from the Revolutionary War.  CVDA was selected to develop a master plan for the restoration of the approximately 42-acre site that included the sanctuary, historic supportive buildings including a school site, the historic cemetery, nature preserve, and community garden.

One of the key challenges was upgrading the antiquated circulation and parking system to be ADA compliant while maintaining and enhancing the historic setting.  The master plan improved site visibility of the sanctuary, accessibility, and wayfinding; introduced stormwater infiltration in the parking lot; established a community garden and nature preserve; created new community athletic fields; and provided for overall landscape maintenance and restoration to enhance the historic setting of the church property.  The first phase included the development of a new main entrance that improved safety, stormwater management and wayfinding.