Faced with limited space and the advanced deterioration of a more than 50-year-old church and student center that stood next to the Oklahoma State University campus, the St. John University Parish decided to demolish the existing space to make way for a new facility.

The replacement structure is a $19.5-million, 40,700-sq-ft church and student center that has more than doubled the previous building’s size upon completion in April 2023. On the first floor is the church and “hoftorium,” a large area similar to a parish hall that is designed to encourage discussion, debate and higher thinking. There is also a full-service kitchen, parish offices and a campus ministry office. The second floor has multiple meeting and study spaces, religious education classrooms and the rector’s living quarters, while the basement houses the mechanical system and flexible space.