Duncan G. Stroik


[Image:Thomas Aquinas Chapel Facade.jpg|thumb|right|Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity Chapel, Thomas Aquinas College]
Duncan Gregory Stroik is an American architect, a professor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, and founding editor of the Sacred Architecture Journal. His work continues the tradition of classical and Palladian architecture, also known as New Classical Architecture.
Stroik is considered a leading figure in traditional Roman Catholic 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.
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Early life and career

Stroik received a bachelor's degree from the University of Virginia School of Architecture in 1984 and a master's degree 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

St. Augustine Cathedral

In 2020, a renovation of St. Augustine Cathedral in Kalamazoo, Michigan, originally designed by Ralph Adams Cram in 1951, was completed. The interior modifications intended to elevate the architectural style of the church, which had been designated a cathedral in 1971 with the formation of the Diocese of Kalamazoo.
Stroik's classical design reflected elements of the original Gothic style of the cathedral. Renovations included a new marble sanctuary floor, predella, baldacchino, ambo, cathedra, new and restored altars, and an interior decorative paint scheme.

Cathedral of Saint Joseph

In 2011, the St. Joseph Cathedral in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, underwent an interior renovation to restore the design to that originally intended by Bishop Thomas O'Gorman and Emmanuel Louis Masqueray, architect of the Cathedral.
A new, circular baldacchino 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, Spanish Mission and Renaissance architecture. The chapel's design is cruciform in shape and features both a bell tower and an dome. In 2003 Pope John Paul II blessed the chapel's plans, and in 2008, Pope Benedict XVI blessed its cornerstone.

Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe

[Image:Guadalupe Shrine.jpg|thumb|right|The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe]
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in La Crosse, Wisconsin was commissioned by Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, in order to create a national pilgrimage site in the Diocese of La Crosse. 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 of Philadelphia and Francis George of Chicago.

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 (Minnesota)|Cathedral of Saint Paul] in Saint Paul, Minnesota. 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, patron saint of music, atop a central dome beneath the Cathedral's rose window and flanked by two human-sized angels.
Other major projects include:

''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, with an original score by Vanderbilt professor Michael Kurek.

Selected publications

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

Selected awards