Here the historic North Side cross meets the modern Charleston skyline.

The beautiful, iconic copper cross that has graced the north side of the cathedral for a sesquicentennial of years is carefully lowered from its perch by crane so it can be restored by master artisans.

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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One of the major components of the steeple is the precast concrete.  The bell section contains most of the precast and was very challenging to create.  First, a sample wall panel and tower was made to recreate the color and finish required to match the existing brownstone.  The form liners were cut on a CNC router and then epoxy coated and sanded to make the relief work. The reinforcing was installed and the forms were ready to pour.  The individual pieces of precast which make up the bell section include wall panels, towers, buttresses, pinnacles, and finials.

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.

After cutting out miles of mortar joints and replacing over 1000 pieces of stone, the Brownstone Restoration nears completion.  Many of the original stones were replaced with precast concrete stone colored to match, however, many stones were replaced with new brownstone from the original quarry in Portland, Connecticut. Dan LePore and Sons of Philadelphia, Pa, has done a masterful job of restoring the brownstone exterior of the historic building to its original condition.