The congregation of Westminster Unitarian Church is back on Kenyon Avenue, with the recent completion of its new parish hall.

The old parish house was razed in September 2010 and replaced at a cost of  about $2.2 million, according to church officials. During construction the congregation met at a church in Coventry.

The old house building, built around 1850, needed serious repairs and presented safety concerns, said Westminster Church President, Abby Addington-May.

"Church members looked at the cost analysis of repairing the old building and building a new one," said Addington-May.  "It just made sense to build something new."

Brewster Thornton, architects from Providence, designed the building with a focus on using "green" materials. Many rooms in the building have large windows to let in natural light and bring in the outdoors.  

Addington-May said some other green aspects included on-demand tankless hot water heaters, dual flush toilets, Energy-Star appliances, solar lighting and native Rhode Island plants.  

"We planted red maples, dogwoods, mountain laurels, and junipers, all native to Rhode Island," said church member Celia Humphreys. She added that 80 percent of the materials from the old building were recycled.

Parking areas have been renovated and expanded. "Another green aspect of our church is the grass parking we will offer. There are supports under the ground with grass growing on it," said Addington-May. She said once the grass grows in fully people can park on the green circle area and other grassy areas without having their vehicles sink into the ground.

The church includes about 187 members with 30 people waiting to sign the book said Abbington-May. She said signing the book includes a ceremony where people sign in as members of the church declaring their common belief that people search for their own personal truth while supporting each other in a group.

"We hope to have a space where a lot of people can come," said Addington-May. She said the neighborhood continually shows support for the church and did as well throughout the construction.

Westminster Unitarian Church meets on Sundays at 9 and 11 a.m. They also provide a service to the community called "The Sharing Locker" on the third Saturday of each month. This program serves the Kent County and North Kingstown area residents.  "It is really nice to be in the new building for this program.  The first one here was very successful," said Humphreys, who helps with the program.