This video shows details of how select parts were made on the very ornate copper steeple on the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston, SC. Copper Exclusive shows their point of view here through photos and film.
The Completed Cathedral Tower and Spire
The copper spire along with the brownstone veneer columns and finials have been up for a couple of weeks now. Jeni Rone of Sea Star Arts has photographed the completed cathedral and steeple for us.
A trip to the top of the steeple is not for the faint of heart, but those who have the opportunity to do so are rewarded with an extraordinary view of the gorgeous Charleston skyline and an up-close-and-personal look at the artistry of this magnificent spire. To see Jeni’s photo log of her trip to the top of the spire, visit this link: http://seastararts.smugmug.com/Events/St-John-The-Baptist-Steeple/11457538_t7U9P#824078003_zUhpt
All the pictures posted in this entry are copyrighted and displayed here by gracious permission from the photographer. Please contact Sea Star Arts for photo use information.
The veneer columns are lifted up into the corners of the copper archway on the Cathedral tower.
Today, we lifted the ornamental stone veneer columns and finials up into the corners of the copper archway on the church tower. The church steeple will now look finished and proportional. To see the completed look with all four columns installed, be sure to check for future posts!
Artisans from Hightower Construction create the veneer ornaments for the tower.
If you recall, we have mentioned in previous posts that we elected to use a veneer on the tower to keep the structure as light as possible. The gallery in this post shows pictures of Hightower Construction craftsmen and engineers creating some of these pieces.
The molds are for the decorative elements. The large, fiberglass pieces, created by Hightower Boatworks, will be fit into the corners of the copper arch bow. We have included a draft of the finished piece as the last photo in this gallery to better illustrate how these items relate to the rest of the tower.
This phase of the project has been quite messy, but all our hours creating this veneer and these fiberglass pieces will culminate into a well-designed and beautiful result.
Though the weather has been less than cooperative, we’ve been plugging away at the top of the copper archway. We’ve compiled some photos of a few of the recent details we crafted to show you what we’ve been up to.
Check out the progress on the copper arch bows!
In less than a month from now, these pieces will be set into place giving the cathedral the crowning glory it has awaited for well over two centuries. Don’t worry, we’ll be sure to upload videos and give you notice of when this will happen. Until then, we’ll be busy working on polishing and refining and putting on all the finishing touches for the big day.
Our next project was to create stylized copper crosses and “dots” in various sizes to adorn the insets of the archways on the cathedral tower. It was a veritable Tic-Tac-Toe in our studio workshop! (The dots won!) We made 4 large and 8 small crosses, and 60 dots in four different sizes.
Check out our gallery below to see how these were constructed. Pay careful attention to the soldered areas to see if you can even see a seam. Bet you can’t!
