Orlando, Fla., Jul 24, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The church to be built on Ave Maria University campus near Naples, Fla., has been redesigned to one-third of its originally planned size.
University founder Thomas Monaghan made the announcement Thursday. Ave Maria is the first Catholic university to be built in the United States in 40 years.
The 68-year-old founder of Domino’s Pizza is building the university and town of Ave Maria in partnership with the Baron Collier Cos.
The new design will seat 1,100 people instead of 3,300 and will cost $24 million rather than nearly $100 million. The stone façade will soar 100 feet over gothic-style arches instead of 150 feet. However, the new design, like the original, includes a skylight that will line the roof ridge.