top of page

Site Plan Preview

The following is a preliminary site plan submitted by the renown landscape architects Eric Bowyer and Peter Imrik at SCI Designs, for whose invaluable donation of world-class talent, thought, and deep understanding and respect for the meaning, heritage, and future of the property we are inexpressibly grateful.  Visit the SCI Designs website and see their incredible work worldwide by clicking here.

Consistent with Familia Victricis' charism of communicating truth through beauty, the property design they have created immerses residents in an immensely beautiful environment, with the express purpose of communicating to our children their own deep value.

Please note: Santa Fe County Housing Authority, the current owner of the property, is not party to, nor does it specifically endorse the objectives of Familia Victricis in the purchase of St. Catherine's.  No offer has been made, and at this time no agreement for purchase has been entered upon. 

 

The purpose of this website is to inform potential partners, donors, and other interested parties of the developing plans in place if at some future date, through the intercession of Our Lady and St. Katharine Drexel, the original owner of the property whose intent was that it should always serve children in need, God should allow its acquisition by Familia Victricis.  It is through sharing these plans that we hope to raise the funds to put forward an offer for its purchase or to otherwise enact our hopes to serve the needs of the children specified in this website.  Please pray for us, and pray especially for the children we seek to serve!

A description from the architect, Eric Bowyer:

 

I wanted to let you see a peak at how the site plan is progressing. We are moving fast on the plan and we are creating big ideas which can evolve, and we are anticipating what may be needed. I studied the historical information and we have saved all the buildings which are of historically significance.  We are trying to focus views to the historical main building and its facade and recreating the historical garden in front with the stone walls.  We wanted to get the parking areas out of the center to create a true campus feeling.  We have a central drop off area and limited parking and disabled parking on the north side of the gymnasium.  We have a perimeter road adjacent to the arroyo which continues up to the upper parking and drop off area near the three historic residences, which could be used for important visitors or the property manager.  We have shown the locations of proposed new buildings around a large grass common area with an amphitheater looking out to the mountains beyond.  We have tried to focus and accentuate views to the city and mountains beyond.  We have created covered arcades wrapping around the ugly facade of the cafeteria which is in the center of the campus, and a new dormitory adjacent to the existing dormitory with views across the large commons to the mountains.  We have enhanced the courtyards with gardens and suggest cutting away at the excess paving which is currently all over the site.  To the south of the main building, we have an oval event lawn surrounded by rose gardens with views to the west and beautiful sunsets.  A semicircular terrace to the west of the main building has a figure pit also with sunset views.  The covered arcades create the feeling of a cloister with a variety of garden and plantings.  There can be vegetable gardens, herb gardens, butterfly gardens and orchards but the perimeter remains the natural dry chapperal.  We have removed most of the non-historic structures to create this campus environment.  We have located a full-size soccer field which would be turf surrounded by the natural landscape and a perimeter path or jogging path.  We have relocated the maintenance yard to the north east corner of the site.  I show a line of the area needed for the soccer field and possibly some other hard surface games.  The upper area could also be used for future expansion of the campus.  We have a large children's play area near the amphitheater, and we have proposed a low wall or fence around the small historic cemetery.  Hopefully this plan can be a good starting point for future planning as the project continues. Hope you like what we have done so far.

bottom of page