1885 Revitalization Project Timeline

The Flood of November 2019 destroyed large portions of our undercroft area, making it unusable. But, it also allowed major issues with our building to be discovered, allowing us to begin our revitalization project.

We invited Reverend Nicola Bowler to be our provost at the Cathedral.

There were four opportunities for St. Paul’s parishioners to join in conversation together and grow a vision for how the St. Paul’s Undercroft can be transformed to support the mission and ministries of St. Paul’s. Around 40 people participated in conversations on February 11, 16, 19, and 23. A summary of the conversation can be found by clicking on this post.

In March of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic began. We continued to worship online together during this time.

Sometime after the Parish conversations, the Undercroft Task Force was formed. This was directly in response to the needs and desires of the parish and community.

The Undercroft Task Force researched into various different architects in order to find the best fit for our needs and situation.

Our Undercroft Task Force picked OPN as the ideal architect for the conceptual design for the National Fund For Sacred Places grant application. After our Undercroft Task Force picked OPN as our Architect, they presented their choice to the Chapter. The Chapter approved their decision, and the following month, OPN presented their designs to the Undercroft Task Force.

With Chapter approval and support of the St. Paul’s community, the Undercroft Task Force submitted a grant proposal to the National Fund for Sacred Places.

After the designs were submitted and approved of by the Undercroft Task Force, they began to search for suitable contractors to carry out the project. They soon received varying offers and compiled them together into a presentation to submit to the Chapter.

The Undercroft Task Force learned, sadly, that the grant application to the National Fund for Sacred Places was declined. The group is currently pursuing other foundations for support.

In August of 2021, the Chapter viewed a presentation given by Undercroft Task Force co-chair Anthony Braida. In this presentation, linked on the main 1885 Revitalization Page, the Chapter saw the causes of the project, the current situation, and the future to strive toward.

Cruz Brothers Construction Company of Chicago reviewed the plaster in the nave and sanctuary and made recommendations for external work to mitigate against water ingress from the exterior, plus assessment of humidity and its effect on deterioration of interior plaster and paint. We await a full written report from them

A new water pipe was approved to be installed by the Chapter in October. This pipe is to bring water into the building at St. Paul’s. Now installed, it fully replaced the one that failed and originally caused the flooding of the undercroft. The pipe is of a larger diameter than the original one, to allow for the necessary upgrades (sprinkler system) when the undercroft is renovated. Since the street had to be dug up etc., the cost is ~$87,000 for this essential work.

RETROPROS™ based in Kansas City reviewed the plaster in the nave and sanctuary. The quotes ranged from $250,000 to $600,000 from basic repairs through to full restoration.

After months of deliberation between various contractors, the Chapter was presented with two choices of contractors. They weighed each one, and ultimately decided on Breihotlz.

Tentative pre-construction/construction timeline is developed with consideration of the liturgical calendar, the climate and the organ:

January – March 2023 Pre-construction design work

April – September 2023 Phase I: HVAC (to begin after Easter Sunday)

October 2023 – February 2024 Phase II: Undercroft finishing

April – August 2024 Phase III: Sanctuary refinishing (to begin after Easter Sunday)

Asbestos Testing is conducted throughout 1885 building.

The Chapter approved OPN Phase I proposal in their November meeting after weeks of deliberation between OPN, the Cathedral, and Breiholz.

In the December Chapter Meeting, the Chapter voted to approve a proposal for the starting work of the sanctuary plaster, etc. for an amount of $28,750.

The study of the sanctuary is conducted. This includes a digital scanning of the plaster and paint on the sanctuary walls to determine its makeup.