HPCS Religious Building Projects
Brooklyn, New York (1910) The Building: Congregation Beth Elohim, also known as the Garfield Temple and the Eighth Avenue Temple, is a Reform Jewish congregation located in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn. In 1910, construction was completed on the new synagogue with a dome-capped sanctuary seating 1,500. The structure was designed and built by the … Read more
St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Charlotte, North Carolina (1893) The Building:St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Charlotte, North Carolina. How to Remove a Precious, Delaminated and Delicate Fresco from a WallSeismic shocks from a nearby underground construction project caused approximately 30% of a 1,540 square-foot contemporary fresco, painted by North Carolina artist Ben Long, to collapse. The fresco … Read more
West Haven, Connecticut (1859) The Building:First Congregational Church of West Haven was built on a place called “the Commons”, which denoted common ground for the use of the community. Over the years, the Church has had three separate sanctuary buildings. The first was built in 1719. The second was built in 1851 and burned to the … Read more
Henderson, Kentucky (1914) The Building: First United Methodist Church was constructed in 1914 as a rebuild of a church that was destroyed by a tornado. The Issue of Concern: In the summer of 2014, a seven-foot diameter area of plaster-on-wood-lath ceiling collapsed, almost injuring a group of visiting students. The collapse triggered a capital fundraising campaign for … Read more
Virginia Beach, Virginia (1956) The Building:Galilee Episcopal Church is an expansive red-bricked building and one of the most popular churches in Virginia Beach. Project Synopsis:HPCS USA was called in to inspect the plaster-on-wire-lath ceiling, the surface of which was experiencing serious cracking throughout. The inspection revealed that the ceiling was in precarious condition and it … Read more
Peterborough, Ontario (1843) The Building:Closely resembles the Metropolitan Methodist Church in downtown Toronto. Both buildings were designed by architect Henry Langley. The formal opening took place on Christmas Day 1875. In 1891, a 40-foot church tower was completed with four large pinnacles at the corners and four smaller pinnacles in between. High on the tower … Read more
New York City, New York (1846) The Building:Described as “one of the city’s greatest treasures”, Grace Church is a French Gothic masterpiece and a National Historic Landmark, designed by James Renwick Jr. Project Synopsis: Phase 1Historic Plaster Conservation Services was retained to conduct a structural assessment of the wood lath and plaster ceiling above this … Read more
Keene, Ontario (1833) The Building: A small brick church in a small country town. Project Synopsis:The ceiling was being damaged by seepage and bat guano that had accumulated and was still accumulating in the attic. A very significant cleaning program was initiated by HPCS with a large vacuum truck making relatively short work of the bulk … Read more
Historic Plaster Conservation Services (HPCS) designed the methodology and oversaw the application of their specialized plaster consolidation treatment At St. Joseph Church. HPCS products were used for this ACO award-winning project.
London, Ontario (1896) The Building:The largest United Church in Canada with seating for 1300 people The Solution:The church was undergoing a major sanctuary redecoration and updating of various mechanical systems under architect Bill Ruth of Tillman and Ruth Architects. HPCS developed and implemented a conservation and stabilization program for the vaulted plaster ceilings of the … Read more
Ottawa, Ontario (1847) The Building: a gothic inspired edifice and a National Historic Site of Canada. The cathedral is in the centre of Ottawa, which lies above a seismic activity fault line. Our assessment of attached plaster ornament in historic buildings in Ottawa is an especially important focus of our work there. The Wisdom of … Read more
New York City, New York (1868) The Building: Designed by the same architect who designed New York City Hall, Old St. Patrick’s was the first cathedral church for the Diocese of New York. Originally built in 1808, the church interior was destroyed by fire on October 6, 1866 and then rebuilt and re-opened on St. Patrick’s … Read more
Union City, New Jersey (1875) The Building: Construction of Saints Joseph and Michael Catholic Church on Central Avenue was completed in 1875. The building is a state and national historic place. On March 4, 2017, a fire started in an adjacent apartment building and quickly spread to the church. Project Synopsis: The church was badly damaged from … Read more
New York City, New York (1904) The Building:A monumental edifice on the northwest corner of Central Park West and 96th Street in Manhattan. The Problem:The deterioration of plaster encasing the huge glass skylight presented a potentially serious safety problem. The Solution:Mark Anderson, senior heritage architect with Façade MD, asked Historic Plaster Conservation Services to assess … Read more
New York City, New York (1847) The Building: The Sixth Street Community Synagogue was originally the German Evangelical Lutheran Church of St. Mark, built in a renaissance revival style in 1847. Much of the church membership was killed in the 1904 General Slocum steamboat disaster in which the boat caught fire on the East River and more than … Read more
Reading, Massachusetts (1887) The Building:The need for a church in the Reading area was made evident by the experience of Rev. Thomas H. Shahan. On his way to visit relatives in Melrose, he had an hour lay-over at the train station in South Reading (Wakefield). When some of the Catholics of the area learned of … Read more
Jersey City, New Jersey (1908) The Building: Designed by architect Charles Edward, St. Aloysius is a granite French Renaissance style church and bell tower that can accommodate nearly 1000 persons. Project Synopsis: An assessment of the 14,000 square foot plaster-on-wood-lath ceiling revealed that the plaster had lost a significant amount of its structural integrity in relation to … Read more
Brooklyn, New York (1847) The Building: A historic Episcopal church in Brooklyn Heights designed by prominent 19th century architect Minard Lafever. The stained glass windows, designed by William Jay Bolton and John Bolton, are the first complete canon, or set, of figural stained glass windows made in North America. The Bolton windows consist of six distinct … Read more
New York City, New York (1948) Restoration in the Nick of TimeThis elegant and brilliantly designed church with a ceiling that looks like the hull of a ship was closed and abandoned in 2001 when a crack in the east wall became irreparable. As demolition crews arrived and began smashing the antique stained glass windows, … Read more
Brighton, Massachussets (1929) The Building: St. Gabriel’s Monastery, built in the Mission style in 1909, is a Boston Landmark, surrounded by historic structures and landscape features. The entire 11.6-acre site had been abandoned for about 30 years until 2016 when Cabot, Cabot, and Forbes proposed a bold redevelopment, which includes the construction of four new residential … Read more
Yonkers, New York (1752) The Building: This historic church in the Getty Square neighborhood of Yonkers was originally constructed in 1752, with an addition in 1859 and modifications to the facade in 1874 by noted architect Edward Tuckerman. It is constructed of rough gray fieldstone with red brick on the corners. It is cruciform in plan, … Read more
Boston, Massachusetts (1899) The Building: St. Leonard’s Church is a Roman Catholic church located at the corner of Hanover and Prince Streets in the north end of Boston. Founded in 1873 and completed in 1899, it is one of the oldest churches built by Italian immigrants in the United States. Construction of the current building, designed … Read more
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1897) The Building: A notable landmark in Pittsburgh, overlooking the city from the top of Mt. Washington. A New Alternative Treatment Method for Stabilizing Plain Face PlasterAn up-close inspection of the surface side of the ceiling revealed significant areas of plain face (vernacular) plaster in danger of falling. Particularly loose areas of the ceiling, … Read more
Toronto, Ontario (1848) The Building: Designed by renowned architect, William Thomas, St. Michael’s is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto and one of the oldest churches in the city. Project Synopsis: HPCS has a long-standing relationship with +VG Architects-The Ventin Group, a Toronto-based firm that brings an enlightened and progressive approach to … Read more
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (1859) The Building: St. Paul of the Cross Monastery and Church, designed by architect Charles Bartberger, is a historic landmark complex of buildings that stand on a hilltop overlooking the south side of the City of Pittsburgh, just a few minutes from the city center. Project Synopsis: HPCS USA was called in to inspect the … Read more
Croghan, New York (1902) The Building: On April 24, 1902, a fire consumed 21 buildings in the Village of Croghan, including the previous St. Stephen’s Catholic Church, which had been built in 1879. Project Synopsis: It didn’t take long for the resilient people of Croghan to spring into action. On August 22, 1902, the rebuilding of St. … Read more
(The Church of Our Lady of the Scapular & St. Stephen)New York City, New York (1854) The Building:Historic church featuring a 22,000 square-foot rib-vaulted wood lath and plaster ceiling and fresco paintings by the renowned Constantino Brumidi. An Innovative Solution to a Strange and Challenging Problem:The ceiling was in a terrible state of dilapidation made … Read more
Washington, D.C. (1879) The Building: Saint Teresa of Avila is the Mother Roman Catholic Church of Southeast Washington, DC. The St. Teresa of Avila parish was formed when a need for a church east of the Anacostia River became evident to a growing Uniontown community. Built in 1979, the building features a beautiful mural painted on … Read more
New York City, New York (1868) The Building: Built in a combined Victorian, Byzantine Revival and Romanesque style by Henry Engelbert, The Church of Our Lady of Sorrows served as the national parish for the many thousands of German families who arrived in New York after 1948. The building features an ornately decorated domed ceiling, along … Read more
Newtown, Connecticut (1870) The Building: Trinity Episcopal Church is a Gothic Revival structure in the heart of Newtown’s historic district. The 1870 church, with its sandy yellow walls and ornate stenciling in plum and teal, saw its last major renovation in 2000. Project Synopsis: Extensive cracking could be observed on the surface side of the plaster 40 … Read more