RESTORATION PROJECT
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On November 8 members and friends of First Church celebrated completion of the building restoration project and rededicated our historic building to the glory of God, in service to the congregation, the community, and the world. Recognized during the service and thanked during the following reception were firms that worked on the two-year project:
John G. Waite Associates, Architects Turner Construction Company–Special Projects Tri-City Scaffold Company Martin Electric Associated Lightning Rod Company Frank Smith Signs Mapco Enterprises Harbrook Associates WeatherGuard Tecta America Reo Welding AJS Masonry Essence of Time (Lockport, NY) Northeast Pest Control WPNT Construction |
FIRST CHURCH BUILDING RENOVATION PROJECT
from James D. Folts, President, Board of Trustees November 2015 The tall scaffolding that surrounded First Church since the summer of 2014 has come down. Again visible to the world are the elegant twin towers, constructed in 1796 by architect and contractor Philip Hooker, restored to their original appearance. The towers are now illuminated by energy-efficient LED lighting. The clocks facing south, east, and north now operate on computer-controlled motors that adjust for the seasons. The sanctuary roof has been covered with an ice/water barrier, and sheathed in standing-seam copper. Associated eaves and gutters have been fully restored. A dropped roof truss over the southeast side of the sanctuary was discovered, and it has been anchored securely. The parish house has a brand-new slate and membrane roof. |
The Joint Boards of First Church in Albany extend their heartfelt thanks to all members and friends of our congregation for their monetary and moral support of the building restoration project.
Nice article on November 13 in the Times Union: "Faces of Faith: Restoring an Architectural Gem in Albany"
FIRST CHURCH BUILDING RENOVATION PROJECT
From James Folts, President Board of Trustees
May 2015
First Church is entering the second season of its major building renovation project. The renovation committee offers to the congregation this report on work completed in 2014 and planned for 2015. The new parish house roof was the major accomplishment of 2014. The old slate roof replaced with new slates and a new rubber membrane underneath to shed water. Asbestos was discovered and abated, the insecure main chimney was rebuilt. Metal dormer windows and new gutters and down spouts completed the work.
The 110-foot towers are an iconic feature of First Church. The scaffolding has permitted close-up inspection of exterior conditions and removal of the sixteen columns. Over the winter craftsmen rebuilt the columns and capitals, and one of the completed columns is now installed temporarily in the Sheridan Avenue lobby. The oval windows have been removed and are being refurbished. Work on the towers this season will be extensive repairs to woodwork, and scraping, stripping, priming, and painting. The original metal dome roofs, possibly the earliest in the U.S., are being preserved and covered with stainless steel. Inside the towers, the floors now have a new membrane roof, and cabling will increase structural stability. Ian Leet has obtained proposals for reactivating the four tower clocks.
The final phase of the project is replacing the church’s copper roof and repairing the built-in gutter system along the north and south sides. Scaffolding began to be erected along the south wall on April 13. The roof will be replaced with new copper sheets with standing-seam covered joints. The eaves, soffits, and gutters will be rebuilt, then scraped, primed, and painted.
The renovation committee, the Board of Trustees, and the Joint Boards have determined to get these big jobs–the roofs, the towers–done now and done well, because conditions would only worsen and costs would only increase. But we have never lost sight of the fact that our church home, however beautiful and historic, is a house of prayer and worship, of song and praise, of mission and service.
From James Folts, President Board of Trustees
May 2015
First Church is entering the second season of its major building renovation project. The renovation committee offers to the congregation this report on work completed in 2014 and planned for 2015. The new parish house roof was the major accomplishment of 2014. The old slate roof replaced with new slates and a new rubber membrane underneath to shed water. Asbestos was discovered and abated, the insecure main chimney was rebuilt. Metal dormer windows and new gutters and down spouts completed the work.
The 110-foot towers are an iconic feature of First Church. The scaffolding has permitted close-up inspection of exterior conditions and removal of the sixteen columns. Over the winter craftsmen rebuilt the columns and capitals, and one of the completed columns is now installed temporarily in the Sheridan Avenue lobby. The oval windows have been removed and are being refurbished. Work on the towers this season will be extensive repairs to woodwork, and scraping, stripping, priming, and painting. The original metal dome roofs, possibly the earliest in the U.S., are being preserved and covered with stainless steel. Inside the towers, the floors now have a new membrane roof, and cabling will increase structural stability. Ian Leet has obtained proposals for reactivating the four tower clocks.
The final phase of the project is replacing the church’s copper roof and repairing the built-in gutter system along the north and south sides. Scaffolding began to be erected along the south wall on April 13. The roof will be replaced with new copper sheets with standing-seam covered joints. The eaves, soffits, and gutters will be rebuilt, then scraped, primed, and painted.
The renovation committee, the Board of Trustees, and the Joint Boards have determined to get these big jobs–the roofs, the towers–done now and done well, because conditions would only worsen and costs would only increase. But we have never lost sight of the fact that our church home, however beautiful and historic, is a house of prayer and worship, of song and praise, of mission and service.
1940s Scafolding
2014 Scafolding
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FIRST CHURCH BUILDING RENOVATION PROJECT
Problems and Progress From James Folts, President Board of Trustees October 2014 First Church is well into our two-year building renovation project. The parish house and church roofs will be replaced for the first time since 1939-40. The towers will be repaired and repainted, restoring them to their appearance as built in 1796. The iron fence along Pearl Street will be repaired and the long-dark lamp stands relit with gas. The towers will be illuminated with new, energy-efficient LED lighting. We all look forward to completion of this complex and long-awaited project. Here is an update, reporting some problems and delays, also encouraging progress. Scaffolding one hundred feet tall now envelops the south tower up to the acorn-shaped finial. The north tower has scaffolding to its upper levels. The parish house too is surrounded by scaffolding. Much work is going on behind all the pipes and planks and netting. The slate roof is being removed from the parish house, and will soon be replaced by a rubberized membrane and new slates to match the old. The project foreman reports that the underlayment (sheathing) on the parish house is in “excellent” condition, and none of it uncovered so far needs to be replaced. A mason is preparing the main chimney for repairs, which he says are badly needed. (The mortar is failing, and is now little more than “wet sand.”) But work on the parish house has temporarily stopped. The architect and contractor had expected and planned for removal of hazardous materials. (The paint on the towers, 21 layers or more, contains up to 22 per cent lead; and small amounts of asbestos were located on tower roofs in early testing.) However the sealant (mastic) used in the original parish house roof has been unexpectedly found to contain non-friable asbestos. The contractor responded quickly once the test results came in. After the legally-mandated delay and posting, the mastic will be removed and work on the parish house roof will resume. The parish house roof project, including new dormer windows, should be completed this season. The renovation committee has asked the architect to prepare a plan for repairing and painting the woodwork on the lower levels of the parish house, possibly next year. Significant delays have occurred in the towers renovation project. The contractor and architect decided that structural engineers should inspect the sanctuary attic where the roof trusses must support scaffolding around the inside edges of the towers. The engineers recommended adjustments to the interior shoring and braces as precautions, and those recommendations have been implemented. The architects have inspected the south tower woodwork close up and tagged elements that need repair or replacement. The 16 columns–two on each corner of the two towers–will be removed and taken to a woodworking shop offsite. They will be rebuilt, stripped, and repainted, then reinstalled in the spring. The architect has provided samples of paint colors for the towers and other woodwork, which are close to the original hues. The original sheet-iron domes on the towers, dating from 1796, will remain in place. The deteriorated metal shells installed in 1856 will be replaced by tin-coated stainless steel, resembling the original metal. The clock faces and hands will be restored and repainted. Ian Leet has been in contact with clock experts, and the plan is to restore the clocks to working order with new digital movements. A lighting expert has provided a new illumination scheme for the towers including the domes and acorn-shaped finials. The building renovation contract covers two construction seasons, with a final completion date of November 15, 2015. We now expect that much of the scaffolding on the towers will remain in place over the winter. That will avoid the major cost of rebuilding it from the ground up next spring, when work on the towers will resume and be completed. In the second season the deteriorating sanctuary roof will be removed, and replaced with a new copper standing-seam roof. The eaves troughs with built-in gutters will be repaired and repainted at the same time. Work will conclude for this season by November 15, 2014. The trusty little pipe organ on the floor of the sanctuary will be given a winter vacation, and the great Austin organ will be unwrapped and tuned for use during the Advent and Christmas seasons and beyond. As the holiday season approaches, the Renovation Committee extends its thanks to the congregation, friends, and staff of First Church for their continuing patience, interest, and trust. |