| Zion Lutheran
Church, located on the eastern side of downtown
Cleveland, is one of the original landmark designated
churches in northeast Ohio. The board of trustiees
recognized the need to start a restoration program
for their historic structures. We were contacted to
review the existing condition of the main church steeple
and devise a long-term strategy for the renovation
of the steeple. Due to the age of the existing building
and the historic significance of the church we were
required to work with many agencies to assure the
historic character of the main steeple was not compromised.
Many meetings took place between us and the Landmarks
Commission, the Ohio Historic Preservation Office,
and the Historic Arm of the National Park Service.
The crucial areas of need were identified as follows:
1. Replace the existing roofing.
2. Reline the existing box gutters.
3. Rebuild/replace the existing finials.
4. Rehabilitate the existing stone details.
5. Tuck-point the existing masonry mortar joints.
6. Bolster the structural integrity of the upper steeple.
All of this work had to take place while the church
was in operation and without closing down any sidewalks
or streets.
The stone details were in decrepit shape, allowing
an abundance of moisture to enter into the masonry
structure. The stones, all original, were either rebuilt
or replaced as needed. Specialty masonry products
were formulated specifically for this process.
The steeple was in need of an immense amount of tuck-pointing.
Research indicated the original mortar to be lime
based, as opposed to a cement based mortar used today.
We were required to have a specific type L lime based
mortar made for this project.
With the cooperation of the board of trustees, the
various agencies, product manufacturers, and the scaffolding
erecter, as well as the city of Cleveland building
commissioner, allowed us to complete this project
in an extremely efficient manner. The original schedule
for this project was 180 days; we completed the project
22 days ahead of schedule. |
