Open House to be held at St. Raphael’s Comfort Hall
The community is invited to St. Raphael’s open house this weekend to show off their renovated Comfort Hall.
The Open House will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 28, at St. Raphael’s Episcopal Church, 5601 Williams Drive.
The Rev. Dr. C. Alex Comfort was the first rector of St. Raphael’s and presided over the congregation from 1962 to 1980.
The Rev. Dr. John Adler said St. Rafael’s was the original church building on the island. Services began in 1951 and the building started in 1953.
“We were built by the people who attended church there,” he said.
Ross Miller, who sits on the board of directors, said the project to renovate Comfort Hall began in July with a deadline of Sept. 15.
“Everyone that worked on the project did a great job. We were quite pleased with it,” he said.
The hall has been completely renovated with LED lighting, new flooring, new paint, and a new kitchen. The bathroom also received a new vanity and ceiling. The grounds were also re-landscaped.
Adler said the kitchen was entirely gutted and brought up to code from below the floor up.
“There is a new source of hot water and new plumbing. The main hall has been completely stripped and painted and the floor was an epoxy filler. It is absolutely beautiful,” he said. “The building was pretty old and had deteriorated. Now it is fixed back up.”
Adler said when they took up the carpeting and tile, it exposed a beautiful floor with limestone, sand and fossil from the beach.
“We covered it with an acid treatment and it is clear and absolutely beautiful,” he said.
With Comfort Hall being completed, they are looking forward to hosting their first shrimp dinner of the season Saturday, Nov. 3., Miller said. The dinners are held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. the first Saturday of each month from November through April.
The dinner includes all you can eat shrimp, cole slaw, baked beans, corn bread, dessert and two drink tickets for beer, wine, or soft drinks.
“It’s all for $20. It’s the best deal on the island,” he said.
Miller said Comfort Hall is open for such outside uses as wedding receptions, family reunions and condo meetings.
“Whatever people would like to do, the hall is available,” he said.