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!
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!
Our gorgeous ornate, gilt copper cross was lifted by crane to be fastened to the top of the copper spire today. The cross is a creation of the artisans at Copper Exclusive. Just to remind our readers who might not have been following us in past posts, the spire is NOT our work. The amazing, archway, visible in many of the pictures in the gallery below, however, is our creation as are the copper finials which you will see attached in future posts.
We had some technical issues with a couple of machines which took time we weren’t expecting and prevented us from assembling and attaching the copper collar as we had planned to do, but we intend to finalize the remaining details tomorrow. We’ll also fit our finials to the top of the archway tomorrow. They won’t be a permanent addition until after the tower is transported and the brownstone veneer pieces have been installed, but we’ll temporarily add these ornaments to finesse the fitting details, so on installation day, everything will be a snap. And, hey, we just want to see it all put together!
We filmed the lift and install of the cross to the spire and need a few days to edit the footage, but you can expect to see some fun video posted in the next couple of days. Until then, please enjoy these pictures showing the lift and assembly.
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.
