Partners for Sacred Places Grant Update April 1st, 2009
In the end of 2008, St. John’s received the great news that we had been awarded an $80,000 grant from the Partners for Sacred Places to support “The Campaign for St. John’s”. Since that time, the Development Committee has been working to define the project scope to be included in the formal grant agreement. It was decided that replacement of the leaking skylights and other critical roofing and masonry repairs was the highest priority after the recent completion of the bell tower project. This work should eliminate the water infiltration which is the primary cause of the damage to our ceilings and walls becoming so unfortunately apparent.
The grant requires a 2-to-1 match with funds to be raised by St. John’s so the total scope of the project supported by the Partners for Sacred Places grant will be $240,000. In the next step, St. John’s will work with Levine & Company, our roofing and architectural conservation consultant, to obtain the detailed construction documents necessary to obtain bids from roofing and masonry contractors on the specified work. Once bids are awarded, the design and construction of the project should take about 9 to 10 months.
Scaffolding Removal Has Begun!
For as long as anyone can remember, there has been scaffolding covering the façade and towers of St. John’s. Actually, it has been only a little over a year since the scaffolding was in place. But it does seem like a very long time. Well, here is some good news! Work on the north tower is completed and scaffolding there is now being removed. Work will soon be finished on the south tower and when that is done, the remaining scaffolding, and the bridge over the sidewalk will be removed. We are looking for all this to be finished by mid-March.
Progress of the Repair and Rebuilding Project
On December 4, 2008, Keast & Hood structural engineers came to St. John's to check on the status of the tower renovation. Following the visit, they sent the committee a PDF with 16 images documenting the progress. They observed that the voids in the walls had been filled; the masonry had been repointed; and a new ladder had been installed at the bell level, among other improvements. Please click through the slideshow on the right to view all of the photos from Keast & Hood's visit.
Background
This rebuilding and renovation project began when an inspection of the church towers found significant deterioration of the finials at the top of the towers. The towers had been repaired and stabilized in the mid-1980s, when the spires were removed. While we have pressing problems with the towers, we also have major leaks in the roof and deterioration around the doors and windows of the church. Our historic graveyard is in disrepair, and repairs are needed to the friary. Finally, during this repair and rebuilding project, we are considering renovations to support the mission of the church. For example, we only have one restroom that is located behind the altar. Another major issue is that we have limited access for people with disabilities, the elderly, and families with young children.
We hired Jack Zavorski Contracters to temporarily stabilize the tops of the towers. As you walk down 13th St., you can see the reinforced architectural mesh at the tops of the towers. Under the mesh is a variety of other repairs made to stabilize the towers.
After sending out a Request for Proposals to qualified local architects and interviewing three architectural firms, the firm of Atkin Olshin Schade was selected. They produced a Master Plan as a tool to help us prioritize this project.
The slideshow at right, from the summer of 2008, contains images of the church before renovations began. It summarizes, then illustrates some of the major problem areas.