In the mid-1940s, when Frank Lloyd Wright was being considered to design a new church for Madison's First Unitarian Society, the choice of architect prompted considerable disagreement among congregation members.

One member called Wright "arrogant, artificial, brazen ... a publicity seeker, an exhibitionist, egotist ... unscrupulous, untrustwrothy, erratic and capricious." And, she added, she didn't like his architecture very much either.

Even so, Wright was chosen and after a difficult four years, the congregation had a new church that has since become a Madison landmark and a building that is considered one of Wright's most important and beautiful designs.

Now, some 60 years later, a just-completed $9.1 million addition stands alongside Wright's dramatic, soaring roof.

And though the construction of the addition was not quite as tumultuous as the building of the original church, members of the congregation who helped guide the project say that it sometimes seemed as if the demanding architect was reaching from the grave to grab the architectural drawings and bend the work to his will.

"We had to capture the greatness of Frank Lloyd Wright's work without becoming intimidated," said David Weber, who served as a liaison between the congregation and the builders and architects.

Major challenges

The Rev. Michael Schuler, the parish minister, said that in the beginning of the 10-year remodeling and expansion project, the challenge sometimes seemed overwhelming.

There were the needs of a burgeoning congregation to meet — 1,500 members now compared to 150 when the church was built — and the complications of dealing with the legacy and looming shadow of Wright.

Because the building was declared a National Historical Landmark in 2004, the church had to get clearance from the State Historical Society for both the expansion plans and for the $750,000 repair and remodeling of the original building.

Weber said even removing a large pane of glass to move in equipment for the remodeling job was difficult because building laws require it be replaced with safety glass.

The State Historical Society would not allow the use of safety glass because of its different appearance from the original glass used by Wright. Another way to get the construction equipment into the building was found.

First service held

Despite the trials, the congregation gathered for the first time last Sunday in the church's new 500-person auditorium.

Around them spread a 21,000-square-foot addition that satisfied not only the necessity of echoing Wright's groundbreaking work but which also boasts cutting-edge environmental innovations, such as a geothermal heating and cooling system, a green roof planted with sedum — a hardy plant — that minimizes storm-water runoff and keeps the building cooler in summer. No, it will not have to be mowed but it will have to be weeded.

Brian Joiner, who directed installation of the building's eco-friendly features, said the biggest challenges included designing for the existing site, finding space for the 500-person auditorium and creating an addition that echoed Wright's original design without copying it exactly.

Circular design

The architects, Kubala Washatko Architects, of Cedarburg, eventually came up with a circular design that wraps the addition around the outside of the lot and keeps the focus of visitors on the Wright building.

From anywhere within the addition, looking out through the tall, glass walls, one's gaze is drawn to Wright's original chapel with its inspiring roof (Wright took as a model for his roof a pair of hands clasped in prayer).

Rather than rely upon the sharp angles Wright used in his original design, architects chose the contrast of a gentle curve for the addition.

"We used geometry that reinforces the iconic power of the landmark," said architect Vince Micha. "The curve was the simplest and quietest gesture we could make in response to the intense geomoetry already present on the site."

Joiner said the combination of green features and the glass-walled, light-filled design reflect Wright's belief in integrating nature and architecture.

The addition is full of natural surfaces, including pine roof beams from Georgia and 15-foot-tall interior red pine timbers from the Menominee tribe's sustainable forest.

"Wright had this idea of bringing the inside out and the outside in," Joiner said. "And you can see that here. It's one of the echoes."

Schuler said the congregation threw itself into the project, in much the same way their forebearers did in the 1940s.

When the budget on the original church continued to rise (the church ended up costing $214,000, nearly triple Wright's original estimate), congregation members pitched in to haul stone from a local quarry.

This time around, congregation members volunteered to chip mortar from some of that same stone so that it could be used in the addition.

While the volunteers in the 1940s called themselves the Stonehaulers, this latest group of workers dubbed themselves Stonehaulers: the Next Generation.

"There was a great sense of re-engagement among members," Joiner said. "It really did a lot to build community."

Budget concerns

Budget was an issue this time, too, according to Schuler. In the end, congregation members pledged $6.1 million for the project, including $5 million in a six-month period. The balance of the cost was paid through a $3.7 million long-term loan.

But the result, Schuler said, is an addition that he calls "ambitious and visionary" not only for its attentiveness to the congregation's rich history but also because of its sensitivity to the challenges faced by the planet today.