Our facilities manager, Brad Hambelton, has been working with Grand Rapids Builders, the Facilities Committee, and the Trustees to take out the damaged bricks, find the root causes, reuse the original bricks when possible, and rebuild the masonry walls. These walls date to the original construction of the church in 1875. The original brick, known as Milwaukee Cream, is softer than modern bricks. Due to the brick hardness differences and the inconsistency of repairs over the last twenty-five years, this project is more complicated than we originally anticipated. We have separated the repairs into three phases. We are currently in Phase 1, working on joints that require additional mortar and adding additional coats of stain. We are obtaining quotations on Phases 2 and 3.
Areas of Work: Phase 1
Due to unpredictable delays associated with the building industry during COVID-19, we are currently unable to provide a timetable or an estimated cost for completion. As we strive to preserve our grand old building, all of us are also watching our expenditures carefully. Assuming the costs are within our annual building maintenance budgets, we are hopeful to have all the phases complete in 2023.
Areas of Work: Phases 2 and 3
Brick Restoration in Progress!
