Restoring Grace

Restoration Updates - January 9, 2012

2012-01-09T09:15:00.000-05:00

Phase I: This phase of the Grace Church Restoration program is complete. We are in planning mode for Phase II.

Wedding Door: We are currently interviewing prospective contractors to do the work on the door. The stairs are complete with Phase I.

Bell Restoration: We are in conversation with several Bell Restoration companies about the bell restoration part of the work. We hope to have had a final decision about the bell contractor by mid to late February.

Phase II: It seems that we are on track to begin this work in late spring or summer of 2012. Our Architect is finalizing plans and developing bid documents for this phase relating to mostly the bell tower. We hope to get this out to bid in February.

New Parish Heat System (s): We are currently in conversation with four heating contractors about the new system (s). Grace Church parishioners should be aware of the fact that the heating system for the Church only is in really bad shape, and running about just over half capacity. With winter upon us, there is a slim possibility that the system will not operate to full capacity for Sunday services, especially if we have extreme severe cold weather. We do not anticipate this occurring but in the event the Church is not sufficiently heated, the 8am and 10am services will be moved into the Wiles Parish Hall. We have tested the system with outside temperatures of 15 degrees, and it has been able to keep up, but we do not know if it get colder than that.

If Sunday services are moved into the Parish Hall, parishioners will be notified via email by early Sunday morning. The heating system will be replaced and upgraded sometime in the spring or summer.

Capital Campaign Plaque Dedicated

2011-11-21T15:29:00.003-05:00

On Sunday, November 20th, we unveiled and blessed the 2011 Capital Campaign plaque. Names and memorials from many of the Campaign donors were listed on the plaque.

At the time of the writing, Phase I of the Grace Church restoration is 99% complete. The contractor still needs to fix some minor areas. We are awaiting a carpenter to do some final work on the wedding door, and for new ventilation equipment for the basement. We hope those things will be complete in the coming weeks. Planning work is beginning for Phase II, which will focus on the bell tower and bells. We hope that work will begin in the Spring of 2012.

And the works moves to the Baptistery

2011-10-26T08:57:00.005-04:00

The work on the back wall moves along. The Restoration Committee decided to do some extra pointing on the back wall which is now complete. The insulation is now in, and the plasterer has begun his work, which will take about two weeks. The new covering over the Rose Window will go up shortly.

The Baptistery is now covered in plastic, and most of the old plaster demoed. Shortly. carpenters and plasterers will work on rebuilding the section. A couple of pews needed to be removed for this, and the work will be a bit more obvious on Sunday mornings, but we hope that it will be done soon.

Construction is taking a little bit longer than expected; now we hope the work will be done by Thanksgiving.

Construction Update - 10/19/11

2011-10-19T16:52:00.000-04:00

Construction is progressing, though somewhat slower than was hoped. The Restoration Committee decided to do some more pointing on the back wall than was originally planned to prevent potential leaks. Our consultants have also determined that the center beam under the church is sound and secure, and needs to other work than preventing more water infiltration to it. At this writing, we are awaiting the insulation and vapor barrier on the back wall to be installed and plastering to begin. Please speak to Wes Foote, Restoration Committee Chair, with any questions you may have.

The Construction Sign!

2011-09-19T18:18:00.001-04:00

More Restoration Photos - Sep 15

2011-09-19T09:30:00.000-04:00

From Restoration Photos - September 15, 2011

Check out the exposed back wall of the church. You can also see some close ups of the stone work being done to keep the water out.

Peace!

The Church is Wrapped in Plastic

2011-09-14T16:35:00.002-04:00

The work is beginning on the inside of the church. Most of the re-pointing of the back wall of the church, and on the chimney is complete. The chimney is awaiting a new cooper chimney cap, and then we will see the scaffolding come down around the chimney. Currently, the slate in stripped back on the outside of the roof, ready for new flashing and some stone work to be done. Final decisions on the level of restoration on the Rose Window are still being made. Scaffolding is now set-up in the church, and demolition of old plaster will begin shortly. This Sunday there will be allot to see inside Grace Church!!

September 1 Restoration Photos

2011-09-13T16:18:00.000-04:00

Here is the next batch of photos of the restoration.

Restoration Photos - August 18, 2011

2011-08-19T16:04:00.001-04:00

More photos from the Restoration taken on August 18, 2011:

Roofs, Rose window and more!

2011-08-18T14:26:00.002-04:00

The work continues. Much of the re-pointing of the Grace Church back wall is now complete. The roofers are beginning their work, and uncovered a major source of water infiltration into the Church (see photo). The good news is, according to our consultant Bob White, we know where 99% of the water is coming from. For a while today, you actually could see daylight through the ceiling on the inside of the church.

In the next week or so the Restoration Committee will have to make some big decisions about the level of restoration to do to the Rose Window. Right now we are told that the glass is stable, but the wood framing needs allot of work. There are trad-offs here with the risk of destabilizing a 160+ year old window as we work on the wood. To see great close-up photos of the window, see below.

Restoration Photos - August 11, 2011

2011-08-11T16:01:00.000-04:00

Here are the photos from the week of August 11, 2011.

More Restoration Photos - Aug 4

2011-08-10T13:29:00.002-04:00

Here are some more pictures of the work being done on the Rose Window and other parts of the Restoration.

August 4, 2011

See you on Sunday!

Photos from the Renovations July 28, 2011

2011-08-10T13:27:00.000-04:00

When you come to church on Sunday you can't miss the evidence of the renovations that are underway. Here are some photos taken during the last two weeks of construction.

July 28, 2011

Peace!

Phase I Construction Begins!!

2011-07-21T21:41:00.005-04:00

Construction on Phase I of the Grace Church restoration project is scheduled to begin on August 1^st!

This phase of construction will include the back wall of the church, work on the roof, the “cricket” between the bell tower and the church and the interior around the Baptismal font. All of the bell tower work will happen in phase 2 of construction.

Our contractor is Folan Waterproofing and Construction (http://www.folanwaterproofing.com) in Easton. They are a family and Woman Owned business, and have years of experience working on historical restoration of Churches. Grace Church is the 5^th H.H. Richardson building they have worked on! There construction schedule is for 8-12 weeks, which means they will be done by November 1 at the latest. During this time we will be blocking off the back section of the Church so as to stay away from the construction area. We anticipate being able to use the sanctuary for Sunday services throughout construction.

Members of our Restoration Committee (Wes Foote, Jr. (Chair), Jim Pearson, Jr., Warren Ramirez, Steve Duggan, Allison Andrews, Noah Evans) will be attending a weekly construction meeting with our architect and owners project manager throughout this project. We ask that parishioners stay away from the worksite, and do not bother our contractors. If you have questions, please speak to a member of the restoration committee or see the Grace Church Restoration Blog on the website (www.gracemedford.org).

We are so thankful for the Grace Church Community who raised the money for this project through our Capital Campaign, and the community of Medford who has also supported this project. Medford residents Bob White is serving as our pro-bono owners project manager, and Medford resident Bob Verrier’s architectural firm, The Architectural Team, has given us many hours of free and discounted services to help make this happen. This really is an entire community project!

Please keep this project in your prayers throughout this summer and fall.