Construction on Baptist Church’s auditorium going smoothly
(Top) An exterior view of the buildings, which is viewable from Wisconsin Highway 35 on the north side of Prairie du Chien. The building and remodel of existing facilities is expected to be completed in January of next year. (Bottom) A new hallway will connect the new auditorium to the current church. Currently, the frame of the hallway is braced with steel that will be removed once the area is finished.
A look inside the new auditorium, which is approximately 11,000 square feet. The new structure will house multiple areas for storage, meetings and bathrooms along with church services. A drop ceiling will be installed. (Steve Van Kooten/Courier Press)
By Steve Van Kooten
When the Bible Baptist Church broke ground for their new auditorium on March 16, there wasn’t much to look at other than a few holes in the ground and some trenching, but six months later, drivers can see the new building’s 11,000-square-foot shell from Wisconsin Highway 35 on the north side of Prairie du Chien.
“We’re about 50 percent done,” said Pastor Andy Doll. “It’s a 10- to 11-month project, and we’re right in the middle of it.”
The project is on schedule. According to Doll, they encountered minimal issues, and the church’s congregation has continued to be supportive as they go through the growing pains associated with construction and remodeling of their facilities.
The cost of the project is approximately $3 million, with a completion date scheduled for January 2026. The church raised the entire amount, which does not include any public funding.
The new auditorium is a necessary upgrade for a congregation that’s outgrown their current worship area, which seats approximately 225 people. The new auditorium will seat roughly 400.
And “roughly” doesn’t mean the new space won’t be more accommodating for parishioners.
“When we were talking about capacity, I said, ‘Guys, it’s got to be comfortable; we cannot have it like it is now. We need a little more space,” said Doll.
He added, “We’re going to have comfortable seating. The uncomfortable part now is there’s no room, so we were packed in so tight. In this [auditorium], you’ll actually have room to put your feet out.”
The larger building will allow the congregation to worship together rather than splitting into multiple services.
“I want to have a church family,” said Doll. “I don’t want to divide that into different services, and our church family feels the same way.”
Doll said the new auditorium will feature brick, limestone and stucco to match the aesthetic of the church’s other facilities.
The building will have dedicated areas for conference rooms, offices, bathrooms and other necessary functions of the church.
Other work on the church’s property will include expanding the parking lot by scraping back the hillside east of the existing church building, creating new entrances that are accommodating to elderly and handicapped churchgoers and relocating stairways to widen hallways in the current building.
“There’s a ton of thought that has gone into this over the past couple of years,” said Doll. “We’re trying to make it so it serves everyone... Our current entryway, current auditorium, new auditorium, and gymnasium will all be on one level, so everything will be easily accessible. Getting more ease of access for people has been a big deal for us.”
While school was out, the construction crews completed a majority of the interior remodeling.
“The summer was very chaotic: stairwells were closed, and part of the auditorium got taken out and restructured. There were a bunch of moving pieces from June through August.”
The church began working with architects two years ago and came up with a satisfactory design approximately a year before breaking ground.
NCI-Roberts Construction out of Madison is the project’s general contractor.
The church is utilizing multiple local contractors, including for concrete (Steve Steiner Construction), HVAC (Rickleff Plumbing and Heating) and electrical (Palmer Electric).
“I’ve been thrilled to work with local contractors. That was important for us,” said Doll.
The current Bible Baptist Church was constructed in 1973 on land formerly used for farming. Before that, the congregation leased a small building in downtown Prairie du Chien.
Between the late 70s and 1990, the church added a school wing, foyer and gymnasium to the facility. Extensive remodeling took place in the 2000s, and a bus garage was added in the 2010s.
