When a heavy piece of wood and plaster molding fell from the ceiling of Christ Episcopal Church, the congregation knew there was a problem.
The church was empty and no one was hurt when the incident occurred just a few weeks before Christmas, said Chris Spohn, chairman of the church’s property committee.
“It was either Saturday night or Sunday morning,” Spohn said. “It dropped, and when it hit the ground, it actually drove the nails straight into the oak floor.”
Sunday services carried on as usual, said the Rev. Bryce Wandrey, rector of the church. The pews below the damaged ceiling were cordoned off with yellow caution tape, and congregants steered clear of that area, he noted.
But all knew the situation had to be addressed, Spohn said. So the committee turned to Ken Saul Jr., lead craftsman and owner of Restoration Artisans, Greenwich Township.
Saul previously did exterior restoration work at the church and is familiar with its construction and support system, which he described as barn-like.
He determined the molding was decorative, not structural. But to be on the safe side, Saul and the committee brought in a structural engineer to further assess the building.
The engineer found significant issues involving a sagging beam connecting the oldest section of the church to an addition, Saul explained.
Founded in 1763, Christ Church is the oldest English-speaking congregation in Reading. The nave, or main section, dates to 1826, Wandrey said.
The church was expanded and remodeled several times, including in 1873, when the chancel — the area around the altar — was enlarged by 16 feet.
About that time, the red sandstone front and 200-foot tower and spire were built.
The stone façade was designed by Edward T. Potter, a New York architect and designer of Mark Twain’s house in Hartford, Conn.
Saul found one of the wooden trusses in the older sanctuary area has a 6-inch dip in the middle, and other beams dip by about 2 inches.
The sagging led to visible cracks in the plaster and caused the roof to settle unevenly, he explained. And if left unaddressed, he said, this could lead to further damage.
Plans for the structural repairs are underway and could include reinforcing the beam with metal brackets or lumber, Saul said.
In the meantime, a temporary scaffold was installed to brace the area and allow for continued plaster repairs.
Funding for the repairs is coming from the church’s own resources and fundraising efforts, Spohn said.
The church previously received a Keystone historic preservation grant for exterior masonry restoration from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission’s office of historic preservation.
As part of the grant requirements, the preservation office holds a protective covenant on the property and periodically inspects it, said John Wood, manager of the office’s preservation incentive division.
Wood and his colleague Alex Gorman, historic property inspection supervisor, recently visited the church to check on the interior work.
Their goal, Wood said, was to ensure proper materials were being used and that the work adhered to the Secretary of Interior’s standards for rehabilitation.
The standards, which also have been adopted by the city’s Historical Architectural Review Board, help maintain the character and architectural integrity of historic buildings and those within historic districts.
Not only is Christ Church significant on its own, Wood said, but it is a contributing building within the city’s Callowhill Historic District.
“Preserving it (the church) helps maintain the character and integrity of the entire neighborhood,” he said.
The historic district is composed of numerous properties that together convey a sense of community and development and what downtown Reading was in the past, he said.
“So if you start to lose those, not only do you lose the historic building, but it also negatively impacts the historic character of your downtown space and the district itself,” Wood said. “That really changes the feel and character of your community.”
Wood commended the congregation for taking the necessary steps to preserve what he called a historic treasure.
“The congregation and pastor of the church, as well as their restoration contractor and architect are really doing a great job at being good stewards of that historic property,” he said.
Source: Berkshire mont