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<\/a><\/p>\nOne of the successful institutions in Minnesota that created many architectural gems has been the churches. This is probably true for other metropolitan areas as well. In our community, the churches that stand out from the others are those built between 1900 and 1920, and many of them were the work of Emmanuel Masqueray.<\/p>\n
Emmanual Masqueray was a French-born architect who moved to the United States in 1887. In 1904, while in St. Louis overseeing the construction for The St. Louis Exhibition, Masqueray met Archbishop John Ireland from St. Paul. Archbishop Ireland commissioned Masqueray in 1905 to come to St. Paul and build a cathedral of grand scale. While in Minnesota, Masqueray set up a studio and designed dozens of churches. <\/p>\n
In 1915 during the dedication of the St. Paul Cathedral, Masqueray met Bishop O\u2019 Gorman from Sioux Falls. Bishop O\u2019 Gorman and Masqueray soon started plans for a cathedral in Sioux Falls. Construction started in 1915 and was progressing when Masqueray passed away in 1917; Edwin Lundie, Masqueray\u2019s chief assistant, oversaw the project until its dedication in 1919.<\/p>\n
While all this has nothing to do with our involvement with the cathedral, I think the historical perspective is worth sharing. Any of us who have worked on stonework from old buildings can appreciate the bookmatching or tight joints that make these buildings unmatched by today\u2019s standards. It was a period of time when labor was cheap, institutions had deep pockets, and time was not of the essence. <\/p>\n
Project Description<\/strong> Currently, there\u2019s is a 1\u201d thick Mankato limestone floor installed in a 12\u201d x 12\u201d square grid pattern totaling 12,000 ft\u00b2. The stone was installed with a mud bed of sand and Portland cement. We took off some floor grills and found the stone to be bonded quite well after all these years. <\/p>\n Our work is to demo the existing limestone floor and mud bed, and install the new stone floor at the same floor heights to match all the door thresholds throughout the church. The stone colors will now be a field color of white Carrara, with multiple colors at walkways. Our work is to demo the existing limestone wainscot and install a new marble wainscot in the exact location, as the plaster will remain in place. In other words we will have to digitally template the wainscot footprint for 4,000 ft\u00b2 of wainscot.<\/p>\n Cubic Items<\/em>
The scope of work involved at the church is a new stone floor, new stone wainscot, and new cubic marble altars, columns, communion rail, font and ambo. (These are the main items).
Stone Floor<\/em><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
Stone Wainscot<\/em>
Throughout the church, there\u2019s a four foot tall wainscot of matching Mankato limestone. The stones are installed with #8 copper wire and plaster spots. At the top of the wainscot the stone bevels at 45\u00b0 to meet the large plaster moldings. Once again, the renovation architect is choosing a colored marble (Fior de Pesco) and going away from the Mankato limestone.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
The church, as it stands now, contains very few stone cubic items \u2013 free-standing work such as stone altar or balusters that\u2019s made from cubic stone and carved or shaped. It\u2019s the desire of the architects and clients to add these cubic items throughout the church. These items can be expensive, especially if ornamental carving is required or a high-end stone is specified. Compared to a floor or wall, which can be sold by the square foot, the cubic items are priced by the item, and can vary in price and quality depending on who is the fabricator of choice in Italy.<\/p>\n