St. Katharine Drexel Chapel is one of many projects Landis completed for Xavier University in the years following Hurricane Katrina. Designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli, its addition to the campus finally brought to life the original vision of Xavier’s founder to provide a religious place of respite for the university. The massive 400-seat church sanctuary with vaulting octagonal ceilings and detailed limestone walls was built with a completely hidden infrastructure. Indirect light filters in through the numerous perforated aluminum chancel screens and art glass incorporated throughout. Adjacent to the main structure is a small day chapel designed to host daily prayer services for around 20 people. Also incorporated throughout this beautiful facility were several common areas, including vesting sacristies, a reconciliation room, and a conference room. Just outside the building is a meditation garden containing tranquil fountains and benches for quiet reflection and prayer. Surrounded by lush landscaping and fronted by a circular plaza, the chapel draws all points of the existing campus to this special place.

From post-bid construction analysis through final punchlist completion, Landis worked diligently with our firm to build an exemplary new school, one which impressed the client enough to become the RSD’s prototype design for future elementary schools. Based on working with Landis Construction over several decades, I do not hesitate to highly recommend Landis for your upcoming construction projects.