Our Building
Since the cornerstone was laid in 1925, St. Mary’s parishioners have viewed the building as a gift from God, given into our care, for the broader community. Click the headings below to learn more about our building.
Our Church Sanctuary is a beautiful, modern space. Its excellent acoustics makes is a popular venue for concerts, theater performances, and rehearsals. The Sanctuary includes a ramp between the seating area and the chancel/stage. The Sanctuary can seat approximately 250 people maximum in the middle and two side sections.
Our Chapel is an intimate space for small gatherings. It fits groups of 5-40 people comfortably. With pews set up in the round, the space lends itself well to our Thursday Night Contemplative Service and also gatherings involving group discussion. This space is wheelchair accessible by ramp.
The St. Mary’s Room is our main gathering room. It is located on the second level, down the hall from the Church Sanctuary and the Tea Kitchen. This natural light-filled meeting room hosts a dozen comfy living-room type chairs, round dining tables and chairs; all moveable to suit your needs. The full room can accommodate a small gathering with a few people to a group of approximately 100 people.
The Tea Kitchen is equipped for serving light refreshments for meetings or receptions. Located conveniently adjacent to the St. Mary’s Room, we have plenty of plates, cups, glasses, serving ware, plus an oven, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher. The Tea Kitchen has two doors, one that opens to the St. Mary’s Room and the other that opens to the hallway and elevator.
The Multi-Purpose Room is located on the second floor and overlooks the garden in the Garth. This room is perfect for small meetings.
The Nursery is located across the hall from the Multi-Purpose Room. Recently refurbished it leans towards Montessori. If you are looking to host childcare at your event, please contact us about the policies we use to keep kids safe while in our building.
Our Undercroft is available for events requiring more space. This space is located underneath the Church Sanctuary and can be accessed by both an inside and outside door. While our Undercroft is a basement space, its high ceilings create a sense of spaciousness. This space can seat up to approximately 150 people at tables.
Our building is ADA accessible, with a designated handicap parking/drop-off area at the church entrance on Laurel Avenue. A spacious elevator located in the center of the building makes it easy to move between levels. Our wheelchair accessible restrooms include women’s, men’s, and gender-neutral options.
Event Rentals
The Rent Schedule outlines rental rates for all of the above facilities. We think these rental rates are reasonable, but we are open to negotiation if the rates will be a challenge for your specific family or non-profit.
Monthly Rentals
If you are looking for a permanent office space, St. Mary’s may have great space for you! The rooms vary in size and location within the building. Contact us to inquire about office rentals. See the directory of current tenants to learn more about other renters in our building.
Alcohol Use Policy
We have a few rules around alcohol use in our building:
- No hard liquor may be served in the building.
- Wine and beer may be served in either the St. Mary’s Room or Undercroft in moderation, and must be served with food.
- If alcoholic beverages are being served, there must also be non-alcoholic options available at your event.
We believe that we are stewards of God’s generous gifts to be used for the healing of the world, and that includes this brick building on the corner of Laurel and Howell. Our building is used by all sorts of neighborhood folks. The following is a list of St. Mary’s tenants, and contact information to learn more about them.
Jean Lyle School
Jean Lyle is an excellent school that has long been a fixture in the Merriam Park Neighborhood. We can’t recommend it highly enough – such dedicated staff and innovative programs, we delight that they share a space with us.
Piano Garden
Liz Lupien has been teaching piano privately for a very long time. She is an active composer and performer, as well. To call Liz a piano teacher is a little bit misleading. Rather than “instruct” –that is to say, rather than impose a set of musical rules upon her students–Liz’s aim is to empower her students to make their own discoveries about music: and therefore, about themselves.
Liz welcomes students of all ages, please call at (651) 214-0646 or email her at lizlupien@gmail.com.
Neighborhood Network for Seniors (formerly Merriam Park Living At Home/Block Nurse Program)
Helping the seniors of St. Paul district 13 “Union Park” stay at home safely since 1991, we are a local, neighborhood supported 501(c)3 non-profit organization that provides seniors and their families the support needed to stay healthy and independent, living at home safely, securely, and connected to their community. We offer a private, personal needs assessment for both seniors and for individuals caring for a senior or other person with memory problems.
Contact us at (651) 646-2301 or mpbnp@mtn.org to begin getting the help you need.
Central Golden Care Services Inc.
A home health care agency providing Personal Care Assistant (PCA) service.
Our vision is to provide dependable care for all people who have needs for assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).
We are committed to carrying out our mission of respecting and listening to the choices of our clients, to ensure that they receive the quality services they expect from us.
We hold strong values and believe that every individual is unique and understand they have their own preferences or ways of caring for their needs. We work closely with each person to learn and understand their way, providing quality service that best fit their needs.
We will be working on our licensure and potentially add Homemaking Service and Companionship next year.
We value our employees and believe in work-life balance, offering competitive pay for our PCA staff starting at $13.50+ with a generous benefit package and bonus.