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October 19, 2026

St. James Cathedral Portico

By JOURNAL STAFF

Photos by Kevin Scott [enlarge]


The portico at St. James Cathedral in Seattle transformed what used to be the primary ceremonial entrance to the First Hill property along Ninth Avenue.

That entrance has become less trafficked due to dense highrise development and a lack of nearby parking around the cathedral.

Designed to function as a primary, spiritual threshold, the portico is defined by new entry doors inscribed with a scallop-shell motif and crowned by a 30-foot-tall light monitor with a cross-shaped structure.

Parishioners pass through the doors into a reflective space with a CNC-machined Carrara marble holy water stoup, bronze inscription artwork, and a white oak bench.

The theological symbol of the cross can be found at multiple scales: in the configuration of the light monitor window mullions, in custom cross-shaped steel frame sections, in the brass-clad ceiling of the monitor and the panel joints of the light tunnel — a suspended brass sleeve that reflects light into the entry vestibule below. By day, the monitor fills the space in diffuse north light. By night, recessed light coves glow from within, turning the portico into a beacon announcing the cathedral’s presence to the neighborhood.

Owner: St. James Cathedral

Architect: Gerrick Office

General contractor: Ferguson Construction

Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget

Lighting design: Studio Lumen













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