Restoration and renovation continue on aging church

Its original luster and beauty are beginning to shine through, especially on the side that faces Madison Avenue, where the North Tower and clerestory walls have experienced the building's first face-lift.

Larry Wilson of Mesick, Cohen, Wilson and Baker is satisfied with the renovation process so far. He represents the architectural firm that has been handling the restoration for the past two years.

Long process

Phase I included the repair and replacement of the brownstone veneer on the north tower and the clerestory walls of the nave and transept. In addition, reconstruction of the crenelated parapets, or decorative tops, over the clerestory walls was also planned.

The restoration work began in 2001, after bids had been awarded and new brownstone ordered from England. The stone restoration is the largest such project currently going on in the U.S.

Progress report

The tower stands 200 feet high and is 25 feet square, which allows for only one team of laborers to work on it at any given time.

"They began at ground level and are working their way towards the top, removing the stone," he said, adding that the spire on top of the tower has already been "stripped of its skin, right down to the brick core."

Up top

"The roof had reached its life expectancy," he noted. "What we did was to install gutters along the roof line that had been previously removed. We then restored the roof by adding sheet lead. Lead is the most stable metal you can use on roofs. This is a grand undertaking."

Only about a half-dozen other buildings in the U.S. have this type of roofing, including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.

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