Construction Begins on Sheldon Calvary Camp Dining Hall
Summer camp is an experience close to the hearts of many, and the heart of every summer camp is the dining hall, where campers gather to eat, sing, build friendships, and make memories. GO Logic is pleased to announce groundbreaking on a rustically elegant new dining hall for Sheldon Calvary Camp (SCC) in Conneaut, Ohio. The 9,000-square-foot building will house a bright, airy dining space for 275 campers, a separate conference room, a commercial kitchen, offices, and support spaces. Designed following Passive House principles of energy efficiency and indoor air quality, the multipurpose structure will continue the camp’s longstanding traditions of communal dining and food preparation, while also permitting an expanded, year-round schedule of programs with minimal impact on the camp’s operating expenses.
Established on the shores of Lake Erie in 1936 by the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh, SCC offers youth and adult programs that strengthen community, faith, and connection to the outdoors. The new building replaces a much-loved dining hall that dates from before the camp’s founding, an uninsulated structure that will be repurposed as a seasonal gathering place. Our design, with its whitewashed board-and-batten siding, low-pitched gable roof, and exposed-wood interior, draws from the summer-camp vernacular of the surrounding campus. Sections of white cedar-log siding at the building’s recessed porch areas create a visual link to the camp’s iconic chapel building, which is clad in a similar material.
We sited the new dining hall on a recently acquired parcel of land, across a ravine from the main campus, which offers expansive views of Lake Erie and the camp’s wooded property. Campers approaching the building will be welcomed by a colorful vegetable garden and, just beyond, a flurry of activity visible through the dining hall’s broad openings. Once in the dining area, they will enjoy views of Lake Erie to the north and the garden to the south.
Long walls of screened, sliding doors will admit cooling lake breezes, giving the new building the same open feeling as its predecessor during the summer, but highly energy-efficient glazing and a superinsulated building shell will allow it to maintain comfortable temperatures year-round. A 10-foot-deep overhang will shade the south-facing wall, blocking direct sunlight during the warmer months, but welcoming the lower-angle winter sun for passive heating. The vaulted roof, a reference to the open framing of the original building, is topped by a trio of shed dormers that will brighten the space overhead.
The floor plan will comfortably accommodate simultaneous, separate use by both summer campers and conference attendees, providing both groups with direct access to the kitchen and restrooms. For the first time, the camp will be free to schedule conferences, retreats, weddings, and other events not only during the busy summer months, but also in the off-season, when the camp has traditionally been idle.
Over its 80-plus years, Sheldon Calvary Camp has been the setting for countless summer adventures. This open, sunny, and efficient building will take the historic camp into a new era, expanding its reach while preserving its nature-centered, communal spirit.
