St Paul’s Old Stone Church
The faithful congregation of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church has been serving the Steamboat Springs community for over 150 years. That faithfulness made a significant step forward with the consecration of the Old Stone Church on Dec. 7th, 1913.
Just over a 100 years later, the building needed a new roof, stone re-pointing, window repair and interior rehabilitation such that it could continue to serve the needs of the Steamboat community.
The Old Stone Church Preservation project came to life when the Grant from the State Historical Society was confirmed and received in the Spring of 2020. A general contractor was selected, the scope and details of the tasks were identified and the work plan was put into place.
Before going any further, let’s briefly look at what St Paul’s Church looked like in the beginning, some growth after 50+ years, and the need for its preservation after the succeeding 50 years. …
The original Old Stone Church was modest in size but huge in meeting the needs of the parishioners in 1913. Its final construction was actually smaller than its original design due to a lack of sufficient funding. Though small, it met the needs of its growing communicants and the services provided by vicars who were circuit riders going from town to town.
Simple design, two steps lead you to the gothic arched solid oak front door with a built-in cross frame, encased by solid stone and topped with a cedar wood shingle roof. These were modern materials of the time.
By 1959, the church building was expanded to include additional church space, additional rooms behind the church and a second-floor space whose purpose has changed over the years into what is now the church office.
Mortar joints surrounding the stone work were cracked and crumbling. The ornate light fixture that once brightened the entrance and illuminated the St Paul Church stone keystone had dulled.
On the inside, the space was fully functional, yet the need for TLC was there. A simple and peaceful space for prayer, connection and Sunday services. What could be seen as flaws were actually signatures of the character and history of this church, a place of worship for more than a century. We have been blessed to be a part of the life of this church, the original St Paul Church.
For a several years prior to 2020, the preservation of the Old Stone Church has been a project in the works. Many individuals with years of connection to the church have gathered with a purpose in mind: How can we preserve our historical gem? Through the help of preservation committees, architects, historical societies, donors and the grants provided by the state historic fund, this project has been given life. The mainstay in this project is the Rev. Catie Greene. And her prayer has been answered. As the Rector of St Paul’s, she wore many hats… and then added the official hat to wear for the preservation. The next best gift came from the City of Steamboat Springs, the official PERMIT TO BUILD.
St Paul’s Church partnered with Fair and Square Construction to bring this project to fruition. Ready and poised to receive the Permit to Build, Fair and Square quickly displayed their company board and logo on the jobsite with our official Permit to Build. They also quickly set up a construction parameter with caution tape to maintain a safe work zone for the workers and viewers passing by. Preparation and mobilization of the workforce commenced.
Meanwhile, St Paul’s Church received a plaque from the City of Steamboat Springs. It was presented to a small representative group of the many individuals involved in the OSC project, from left to right: 1. Catherine Brown, Steamboat Springs Historic Preservation Commission (HPC), 2. Marianne Capra, (HPC), 3. Jim Defrancia, OSC Preservation Committee, 4. Nancy Kramer, OSC, Preservation Committee, 5. Rev. Catie Greene, St Paul's Episcopal Church, 6. Katie Adams, Chair of the Steamboat Springs HPC, 7. Louie Pabon, OSC project oversight, 8. Sally Kavanagh, (HPC), 9. Jim Michler, HPC, 10. David Lund, OSC Preservation Committee, Unavailable: Emily Katzman, Executive Director, Historic Routt County, Photographer: Erica Hewitt, Steamboat Architectural Associates
The plaque commemorates and acknowledges St Paul’s Church on the Steamboat Springs Register of Historic Places by the City of Steamboat Springs. The plaque is proudly mounted to the left of the front door on the wall above the stone that is etched with Erected A.D. 1913.
Back inside, the work crew set up and done an up-close assessment of the work required. Time for a meeting, from left to right: Louie Pabon, OSC project oversight, Ron Davies, Fair and Square Construction, David Humphries, Humphries Architect, Nancy Kramer, OSC Preservation Committee, Jan, Fair & Square plaster specialist.
This was a meeting that required hands-on, eyes-on ears open to see, feel and hear areas where the original plaster work had lost its bond to the subsurface. These were not identified during the original assessment. Being this close was the only way to identify these subtleties that required attention at this opportune time.
Visible cracks in the window sills were easy to see, but you had to put your hand on it and merely tap with your finger to hear the hollowness underneath the surface.
Several windows were painted shut and layers of paint covered the brass and copper hinges and locks that one time made theses windows operable.
This crack in the wall was clearly on the repair list. It identified where two different uneven wall materials, plaster and wall board, met and did not hold up to time. It marked the end of the original wall and the beginning of the new wall of the addition to the church space. This presented a challenge on how to smooth it out and make it last. So Jan started with opening the wall.
No, Dennis is not pointing at and admiring his larger than life shadow. Rather, now that the subsurface is exposed, this prompted a discussion of possible repair approaches to repair the wall. A new challenge
The opened wall revealed the old stone and typical materials to hold the stone and bond the plaster in place. Still, the questions remained what to do and how to do it as this was no longer a simple crack repair,
Some preliminary subsurface repair was started and the result created some new perspectives and generated some new ideas that were beyond the scope of the repair. Hmmm, opportunity was knocking, and we could all hear it. Jan said, “let me work on this and see what I figure out”. We left a craftsperson to work the ideas that we would all revisit.
