Holier skyline: St. John’s now 167 feet high to top of its gilded cross
By Robert Behre
Charleston’s skyline was blessed with a new landmark Monday afternoon, as a crane hoisted a new copper-clad spire onto the top of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.
Shortly after Bishop of Charleston Robert Guglielmone shook holy water on the 16-foot-tall cross, he recalled a recent visit to James Island…
To read the whole story, please visit: http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/mar/09/holier-skyline/
120 Years later, church gets steeple
Posted: Mar 08, 2010 4:38 PM MST Updated: Mar 08, 2010 4:39 PM MST
CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) – The mother Church for the Diocese of Charleston finally has its steeple. On Monday, the new steeple was raised at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist on Broad Street, more than 120 years after the cornerstone was laid… For the accompanying news article, please visit: http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=12105396
*Followers of our blog will know that there is no fiberglass in the cross. The ornate archway or “lantern” directly below, however, consists of a fiberglass form covered in copper. Otherwise, a fun and accurate news story.
Click here for a quick review of how the cross was constructed: http://www.stjohnthebaptistcathedralrestoration.com/general/966/the-cross-a-masterpiece-of-disguise/
Click here to review how the fiberglass cold molds for the lantern were built: http://www.stjohnthebaptistcathedralrestoration.com/general/336/hightower-boatworks-and-the-steeple/
Take a moment to review some of our past entries. It’s fun to see how everything finally came together!
We are so excited about the work advancement on our beautiful bell tower! Check out these stunning pictures of the base of the tower being lowered into place. What could make the gorgeous skyline of Charleston even more amazing? You’re about to see it! More progress pictures coming soon!
The progress for the upper tower is moving right along. To keep the tower light, we decided to use dovetail anchored, precast veneer. To keep the structure strong, the precast veneer will be secured by a steel frame. An elegant solution!
It occurred to us that we never really showed you the cathedral building itself. These pictures were taken just as the brownstone restoration was taking place. You’ll also see in the gallery an artist’s rendition of the finished product and an architectural sketch of the tower.
Before any work was started on the tower, Hightower Construction created some mini mock ups of the cathedral arch bow, spire and cross. These are really fun!
Christoph Paccard Bell Foundries is responsible for crafting our beautiful bells. Three new English bells will will sound, marking the addition of a new steeple to the Charleston skyline. These bells were cast in France and have been shipped to John’s Island, where they await installation in the bell section before being hoisted into place.
One of the more difficult aspects of the project included installation of the rigid frame into the existing tower. The frame had to be designed to hold the weight of the new steeple and had to be mounted inside the existing tower. This included taking accurate dimensions of the tower and installing concrete foundations to support the structure. Hightower Construction crews spent several weeks inside the tower cutting and removing over 12 cubic yards of existing brownstone for the foundation pockets. Then reinforcing and formwork was added before the concrete could be pumped up into the tower. It was a very satisfying day when the rigid frame was lifted up and put into its final resting place. This 15,000 lb. part of the steeple structure will never be seen again by admirers of the new steeple atop the Cathedral of St John the Baptist.
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The expertise of Hightower Boatworks proved to be very useful in the building of the steeple. The components of the upper arch section were all made of cold mold fiberglass which received the copper cladding. Two critical components of the steeple design, weight and strength, were easily accomplished through the use of cold mold fiberglass.
