Building: St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral
Location: LaCrosse, Wisconsin
Award: Eagle Award
Awarded By: Associated Builders and Contractors, Minnesota and North Dakota
Category: Historical Restoration
Architect: Edward J. Schulte
Building Restoration Corporation and Insite Consulting teamed up to address the deteriorating, cracking, and spalling Limestone that St. Joseph the Workman Cathedral in Lacrosse, WI was suffering from. BRC undertook the restoration of the 38,000 square feet of limestone enveloping the building along with the 65-foot-tall spire.
The most immediate concern was that the spire had experienced years of high-impact storms that caused severe deterioration of much of the Limestone. The Cathedral parishioners observed large spalls of Limestone on the ground around the bell tower, and large holes in the standing seam copper roof that shelters the Sanctuary.
With the scope of work acknowledged, BRC hired Scaffold Services to erect a massive scaffold system for our crew to safely access the work area, utilizing a 100-ton crane to pick and land the stone. Because the spire was tiered, the scaffold had to be designed so that the upper portions could be accessed without obstruction or unnecessary overreach.
After working through the access challenges, the next process was systematically removing, photographing, and marking the Limestone for resetting and replacement. Every piece of Limestone was removed from the spire and the spire base. Each stone, whether it was to be reset or replaced, was swung to the ground, sound tested, and inspected for integrity. If salvageable, the mortar was removed, and the Limestone was cleaned, patched, and stored for reinstallation. The questionable stone was measured, drafted, and sent to the manufacturer for production.
Another unique item was the installation of the Italian hand-carved crucifix to hang over the altar. This work involved an interior scaffold design that would provide safety for the crew while moving and installing the crucifix. The crucifix hung seven feet above the marble altar using custom solid brass brackets and rods fabricated by BRC’s metal shop.
