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HISTORY IN BRICK

Albany architects revive first U.S. Catholic chapel

Recently, a large piece of Catholic history in the United States was resurrected in Maryland - and a local architecture firm helped bring it back to life.

On Sept. 20, an estimated crowd of 1,000 witnessed the unveiling of the reconstructed St. John's Chapel in St. Mary's City, Md., the first Catholic chapel in the U.S. The architects behind the project came from Albany's own Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker.

"It was a pretty exciting project for us," said Jeff Baker, who designed the reconstruction along with his partner, John Mesick.

The chapel, which was originally built in 1667, was a symbol of religious freedom for Catholics in Maryland during a time when English rule looked down on them. 

Maryland was one of the few American colonies where Catholics could worship freely.

For the reconstruction project, which took close to 10 years to plan and finish, Mr. Baker and Mr. Mesick conducted thorough research, even traveling to parts of Belgium and England to study chapels of a similar style and era. 

"We realized that, regardless of what we did, we would never know exactly what the chapel looked like," said Mr. Baker; "but we used this as a learning experience to develop a knowledge of what we think a chapel back then would look like."

Original technique
The two architects used the same type of clay, pattern and style of brick as in the original chapel. They even made mortar, the material used to fill gaps between bricks, from oyster shells, just like the original chapel located near the Chesapeake Bay.

"It was very interesting to see that [combination of materials] all work," said Mr. Baker. "By doing these things, you have a better understanding of how they work together."

The chapel is one of many historic projects the crew at Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker has worked on; other reconstructions include Thomas Jefferson's Monticello; James Madison's house in Montpelier, Vt.; and the Blair House, a presidential guest house in Washington, DC, to which Mr. Mesick contributed.

Third age
Mr. Mesick was unavailable for an interview, but has been a major name in architecture since he first started in 1971. Now in his 70s, Mr. Mesick continues to be an integral part of the group's projects.

"He was really the principal partner for a great portion of [the reconstruction of the chapel]," said Mr. Baker, who described Mr. Mesick as "probably the most skilled preservation architect in the country."

The Maryland chapel is one example of the lead architect's devotion. "At some point your job becomes less of a job," Mr. Baker explained. "It becomes almost your mission. It feels like you're made for it."

Though he is a Protestant, Mr. Baker can still appreciate the symbolism of the Catholic chapel, and feels a sense of accomplishment for restoring it.

"There is a great satisfaction to bring back a tangible sense of history," he said. "The efforts of our forefathers should not be forgotten."

The reopening closed an historic circle. Despite the early years of freedom of conscience and separation of church and state in Maryland, in 1704, following an order from the royal governor, Sheriff John Coode locked the doors of the chapel and it was later dismantled, brick by brick. Catholics at the time could no longer worship in public. 

In the dramatic Sept. 20 ceremony, current St. Mary's County Sheriff Tim Cameron unlocked the massive oak and pine doors of the reconstructed chapel, using a key believed to be a replica of the one his predecessor used 305 years earlier to lock the chapel's doors. 

Before the ceremony, Cameron said unlocking the doors was a symbolic way to reaffirm "the idea of freedom of conscience." 

(CNS contributed to this story.)

(10/22/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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