Duncan Gregory Stroik (born January 14, 1962), usually credited as Duncan G. Stroik, is an American architect, a professor of architecture at the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

School of Architecture, and founding editor of the ''Sacred Architecture Journal.'' His work continues the tradition of classical and

Palladian Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognised as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective and ...

architecture, also known as

New Classical Architecture New Classical architecture, also known as New Classicism or Contemporary Classical architecture, is a Contemporary architecture, contemporary movement that builds upon the principles of Classical architecture. It is sometimes considered the mode ...

. Stroik is considered a leading figure in traditional

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

sacred architecture. In his academic work, Stroik has stressed the importance of tradition, and advocates for beauty as the principal standard of architecture. In 2016 Stroik received the Arthur Ross Award for recognition of excellence in the classical tradition.

Early life and career

Stroik received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

from the University of Virginia School of Architecture in 1984 and a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in architecture from Yale School of Architecture in 1987. After graduating from Yale, Stroik worked as a designer for Allan Greenberg. In 1990, Stroik joined the Notre Dame School of Architecture as a founding faculty member of the school's classical program. In that same year, he founded his firm, Duncan G. Stroik Architect LLC. Stroik attributes his interest in classical architecture to Thomas Gordon Smith, a forefront postmodern architect to embrace canonical classicism.

Institute for Sacred Architecture and ''The Sacred Architecture Journal''

In 1998, Stroik founded the Institute for Sacred Architecture, a non-profit organization dedicated to a renewal of beauty in contemporary church design. The institute’s principal activity is the twice yearly publication of the ''Sacred Architecture Journal'', which is dedicated to an ongoing discussion of current issues in the field of sacred architecture.

Major projects

Stroik's major projects include: * Chapel of the Holy Cross on th
Jesuit High School
campus in

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

* All Saints Church in Walton, Kentucky * St. Augustine Cathedral in

Kalamazoo, Michigan Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 73,598. It is the principal city of the Kalamazoo–Portage metropolitan are ...

* Christ Chapel at

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

Hillsdale, Michigan Hillsdale is the largest city, and county seat, of Hillsdale County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 8,036, at the 2020 census. The city is the home of Hillsdale College, a private liberal arts college. History This a ...

* Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity on the Thomas Aquinas College campus * The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

* St. Margaret Mary Parish in Bullhead City, Arizona * St. Theresa School and Education Center in Sugar Land, Texas * St. Catherine of Siena Church in

Trumbull, Connecticut Trumbull is a New England town, town located in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, Connecticut, Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, and borders on the cities of Bridgeport, Co ...

* St. Joseph Cathedral in

Sioux Falls, South Dakota Sioux Falls ( ) is the List of cities in South Dakota, most populous city in the U.S. state of South Dakota and the List of United States cities by population, 117th-most populous city in the United States. It is the county seat of Minnehaha Coun ...

* Organ case in St. Paul's Cathedral in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, ...

* Villa Indiana in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

Image:TAC Interior 2.jpg, The Thomas Aquinas College Chapel, California Image:St._Theresa_School.jpg, St. Theresa School, Sugar Land, Texas Image:Sacred Heart Shrine.jpg, Sacred Heart Shrine, St. Louis Cathedral

St. Augustine Cathedral

In 2020, a renovation of St. Augustine Cathedral in Kalamazoo, MI, originally designed by

Ralph Adams Cram Ralph Adams Cram (December 16, 1863 – September 22, 1942) was a prolific and influential American architect of collegiate and ecclesiastical buildings, often in the Gothic Revival style. Cram & Ferguson and Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson are partn ...

in 1951, was completed. The interior modifications intended to elevate the architectural style of the church, which had been designated a

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

in 1971 with the formation of the

Diocese of Kalamazoo The Diocese of Kalamazoo () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in southwestern Michigan in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of ...

. Stroik's classical design reflected elements of the original Gothic style of the cathedral. Renovations included a new marble sanctuary floor,

predella In art a predella (plural predelle) is the lowest part of an altarpiece, sometimes forming a platform or step, and the painting or sculpture along it, at the bottom of an altarpiece, sometimes with a single much larger main scene above, but oft ...

baldacchino A baldachin, or baldaquin (from ), is a canopy of state typically placed over an altar or throne. It had its beginnings as a cloth canopy, but in other cases it is a sturdy, permanent architectural feature, particularly over high altars in ca ...

, ambo,

cathedra A ''cathedra'' is the throne of a bishop in the early Christian basilica. When used with this meaning, it may also be called the bishop's throne. With time, the related term ''cathedral'' became synonymous with the "seat", or principa ...

, new and restored altars, and an interior decorative paint scheme.

Cathedral of Saint Joseph

In 2011, the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in Sioux Fall, SD, underwent an interior renovation to restore the design to that originally intended by Bishop Thomas O'Gorman and

Emmanuel Louis Masqueray Emmanuel Louis Masqueray (1861–1917) was a Franco-American preeminent figure in the history of American architecture, both as a gifted designer of landmark buildings and as an influential teacher of the profession of architecture dedicated t ...

, architect of the Cathedral. A new, circular

was built for the main altar featuring four 8,000-lb. marble composite columns. The church's stone tile floor was replaced with a decorative marble flooring, and mechanical, electrical, sound, and lighting systems were replaced, including new custom chandeliers replicated from the Cathedral's original design.

Thomas Aquinas College chapel

Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel at Thomas Aquinas College was dedicated on March 7, 2009. Stroik's design for this , $23 million chapel references

Early Christian Early Christianity, otherwise called the Early Church or Paleo-Christianity, describes the historical era of the Christian religion up to the First Council of Nicaea in 325. Christianity spread from the Levant, across the Roman Empire, and be ...

, Spanish Mission and

Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...

. The chapel's design is cruciform in shape and features both a bell tower and an dome. In 2003

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

blessed the chapel's plans, and in 2008,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

blessed its cornerstone.

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in

was commissioned by Cardinal

Raymond Leo Burke Raymond Leo Burke (born June 30, 1948) is an American Catholic prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta from 2014 to 2023. He previously served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 2004 to 2008 and ...

, in order to create a national pilgrimage site in the

Diocese of La Crosse The Roman Catholic Diocese of La Crosse () is a Latin Church diocese in west-central Wisconsin in the United States. The metropolitan for the diocese is the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The mother church is the Cathedral of Saint Joseph the Workman ...

. The shrine is situated amidst of woodland near the south end of La Crosse. On July 31, 2008 the Shrine Church was dedicated, with the dedication Mass presided over by Cardinal Burke, who was joined by Cardinals

Justin Rigali Justin Francis Rigali (born April 19, 1935) is an American prelate of the Catholic Church. After a diplomatic and academic career in Rome, he served as Archbishop of St. Louis from 1994 to 2003. He then served as Archbishop of Philadelphia f ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and

Francis George Francis Eugene George (January 16, 1937 – April 17, 2015) was an American prelate of the Catholic Church. He was the eighth archbishop of the Archdiocese of Chicago in Illinois (1997–2014) and previously served as bishop of the Dio ...

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Organ case at the Cathedral of Saint Paul

Taking inspiration from Emmanuel Louis Masqueray's original design, Stroik designed a new organ case for the Cathedral of Saint Paul in

Saint Paul, MN Saint Paul (often abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 311,527, making it Minnesota's second-most populous city an ...

. The new organ case preserved the view of the Cathedral's rose window, and featured 123 new organ ranks. The case was constructed of hand-carved walnut wood with gilded details. Stroik's design featured

Saint Cecilia Saint Cecilia (), also spelled Cecelia, was a Roman Christian virgin martyr, who is venerated in Catholic, Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox, Anglican Communion, Anglican, and some Lutheran churches, such as the Church of Sweden. She became the ...

, patron saint of music, atop a central dome beneath the Cathedral's rose window and flanked by two human-sized angels.

''Raffaella: A New Fairytale Ballet''

In 2024, Stroik commissioned and produced a new full-length ballet, '' Raffaella: A New Fairytale Ballet,'' in honor of his daughter's passing in 2018. The ballet premiered at the Morris Performing Arts Center in South Bend, Indiana. The piece was choreographed by

Claire Kretzschmar Claire Kretzschmar is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and former soloist for the New York City Ballet. Early life Kretzschmar was born in Glendale, AZ in 1992. After moving to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Kretzschmar began studying ...

, with an original score by Vanderbilt professor Michael Kurek.

Selected publications

* ''Church Building as a Sacred Place: Beauty, Transcendence, and the Eternal'' (Chicago: Hillenbrand, 2012). * ''Reconquering Sacred Space 2000: The Church in the City of the Third Millennium'' (2012). Edited by Duncan Stroik, Cristiano Rosponi, and Giampaolo Rossi

Selected awards

* "

Palladio Award The Palladio Award is an architectural prize given annually for "creative interpretation or adaptation of design principles developed through 2,500 years of the Western architectural tradition". The Awards, in several categories, are presented by ...

" for Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel (2022) ''Traditional Building Magazine'' * "Addison Mizner Award" for The Chapel of the Holy Cross (2019) Institute of Classical Architecture and Art *
Clem Labine Award
(2017) ''Traditional Building Magazine'' *
Arthur Ross Award
for Architecture (2016) * "

" for The Cathedral of Saint Paul Organ Case (2014) ''Traditional Building Magazine'' * "Copper in Architecture Award" for the Basilica of the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill. (2014) Copper Development Association, Inc. * "Acanthus Award of Arete" for Restoration and Renovation of The Cathedral of Saint Joseph (2013) Institute of Classical Architecture and Art * "

" for Restoration and Renovation of The Cathedral of Saint Joseph (2013) ''Traditional Building Magazine'' * "Henry Hering Memorial Medal: Art and Architecture Award" for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2012) National Sculpture Society * "Indiana Design Award" for the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2012) American Institute of Architects, Indiana * "

" for New Design & Construction - less than 30,000 sq.ft. for Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (2011) ''Traditional Building Magazine'' * "Tucker Design Award" for Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel (2010) Building Stone Institute * "Brick in Architecture Award" for Saint Theresa Education Center (2010) Brick Industry Association * "Indiana Design Award" for Villa Indiana (1998) American Institute of Architects, Indiana

Bibliography

* Michael Tamara. "Crisis Magazine." ''How Lovely (Again) is Thy Dwelling Place'' (September 2014) * Martha McDonald. "Sacred Architecture in the New Century." ''Traditional Building'' (December 2014): 6-11. * Nancy A. Ruhling. "Architectural Organ Case." ''Traditional Building'' (June 2014). 21-23 * Elizabeth Lev. "Beautiful Homes for Communion with God." ''Zenit'' (July 5, 2013). * Jennifer Adams. "Cathedral undergoes a 'creative restoration'." ''Stone World Magazine'' (May 2013): 70-79. * Martha McDonald. "Creative Restoration." ''Traditional Building'' (December 2012): 28-31. * Joseph Pronechen. "Altar Rails Returns to Use." ''National Catholic Register'' (July 2011): B4. * Lynne Lavelle. "Sacred Mission." ''Traditional Building'' (June 2011): 20-23. * Alexis Fisher. "Chapel Design Reflects College Mission." ''Stone World Magazine'' (July 2010): 116-128. * Catesby Leigh. "A Return to Grace." ''Wall Street Journal'' (March 18, 2010): D7. * Bradford McKee. "Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity." ''Architect'' (December 2009): 69-76.

References

External links

*
Institute for Sacred Architecture

Hillsdale College website

Shrine website

Thomas Aquinas College website

Notre Dame School of Architecture

Book Review of ''The Church Building as a Sacred Place''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stroik, Duncan Gregory Architects of Roman Catholic churches Architecture academics New Classical architects 21st-century American architects University of Virginia School of Architecture alumni Yale School of Architecture alumni 1962 births Living people American Roman Catholics 20th-century American architects