The Unitarian Meeting House, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, was completed in 1951. It is recognized as one of the world's most innovative examples of church architecture. The Meeting House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, and in August of 2004 it was officially declared a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service. We share our historic Meeting House with a worldwide audience, and from the beginning the new addition was designed to remain in the background.
Although we are adding a significant amount of much-needed space, our treasured Meeting House remains the prominent architectural feature on the campus. Kubala Washatko Architects continues to consult with a cadre of outside architects and scholars with expertise in Frank Lloyd Wright's work, and has received praise for the manner in which they've addressed both the connection to the historic Meeting House, and the need to respect the historic profile.
Although our Meeting House is an architectural wonder, it has been stretched thin by our expanded membership. Wright designed the Meeting House for a congregation anticipated to have a membership of 200 people. We now have more than 1300 active adult members. Although we have built two significant additions, growth has surpassed even those, and our Meeting House suffers the effects of overuse and overcrowding. This is most evident at Sunday worship services, which now routinely rely on extra seating in the Hearth Room. Thus, some have never attended a Sunday service in which the auditorium was set up as Frank Lloyd Wright intended.
Even more pressing is the need for preservation work on the Meeting House, some of which is extensive enough to require closing the building. Preservation work will be a component of the project and $750,000 has been set aside specifically for that purpose. Our Preservation Work Group has identified a small number of restoration projects as immediate priorities. In May, the parish directed that we undertake these projects as prudent pending further research, and we have hired restoration expert John Freiburger to act as our project manager and owner's representative.
Among the most important of our restoration projects is replacement of the wiring and lighting fixtures in the Auditorium. We have completed an assessment and researched options, including those that will improve energy efficiency. Our next step will be to mock up and test options for lighting quality and fixture design. The replacement of lighting fixtures will also entail replastering and painting of the Auditorium ceiling. We are striving to integrate the electrical work and the installation of an improved ventilation system for the Auditorium, with the hope of completing both projects during this church year.