Historic Church Roof Replacements
Throughout the years, we have been entrusted to replace some of the more challenging and complicated designs on historic churches, cathedrals, and synagogues. Repairs and replacements like these that are true to original designs keep historic craftsmanship alive. Historic buildings have a positive impact on communities by providing history and architecture for future generations to use, learn from, and admire. Below are five of our favorite and more challenging restoration projects:
First Presbyterian Church
Steeple Replacement, Columbus, GA
The First Presbyterian Church in Columbus, Georgia, is listed on the National Historic Register as it was originally built in 1862, and restored after a fire 1893. The restoration work completed by Huber and Associates to this historic church was done to the south tower steeple. After years of various repairs to it, the sheet metal finial shown below was damaged beyond repair. Prior to beginning any work on the new finial, we conducted a site visit to detailed pictures and measurements of the old finial to match the design as closely as possible. We replicated the design back at our Lake City, FL shop, where we took great care to match details but build it stronger, and found the exact matching slates to use in the new install. One of the biggest challenges proved to be the sheer height of the steeple, coupled with the size of the finial. The finial was installed in sections, then the slates and ridge caps were also replaced as well. Read more about the project on the portfolio page here.
Circular Congregational Church
Copper Standing Seam Replacement, Charleston, South Carolina
The Circular Congregational Church has a long standing history in Charleston, with the location being used since 1681, and the present-day building built in 1890. One the older building designs was completely circular to allow people to hear the sermons better which is where the name comes from, a design which partially carried through to today’s building. The copper standing seam roof and cypress sidewall replacement was completed by Huber & Associates over 30 years back! Today, the copper is well into its aging process, and still holding up perfectly! View more pictures on the portfolio page here
Temple Emanu-el
Copper Roof Replacement, South Beach, Miami, Florida
Temple Emanu-el is a Jewish synagogue located in South Beach Miami, Florida. Built in 1948, it underwent a restoration in the early 2000s, which is when Huber & Associates replaced the iconic copper domes. Standing seam copper was used for the installation, and then our patented formula was applied to give it a natural patina finish to better match the aged copper we replaced.
St. Paul's Episcopal Church
Slate Roof Replacement, Augusta, Georgia
The current St. Paul’s Church’s building was completed in 1919. St. Paul’s Church has had a long history that started almost 200 years before the current building opened. There were four previous church buildings which were eventually destroyed one way or another, with the first being founded in 1750. Due to its very long existence, the church is the gravesite to many influential people, such as William Few (a signer of the U.S. Constitution), General George B. Matthew (a previous Georgia Governor), and William Longstreet (inventor and operator of steam engines and cotton gins) to name a few.
The current St. Paul’s Church was completed in 1919. Architect Henry Wendell oversaw its building, and it is almost an exact replica of the 1820s version designed by John Lund. Its architecture style is Federal, with influences of Georgian and Greek Revival mixed in throughout. The church is Augusta’s oldest church congregation, and the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
The restoration work completed was done to the slate roof. A high quality, hard slate can last 75-100 years a more, and this slate did exactly that! Almost 100 years later, the slate began to show signs of needing repair. As the building is listed on the National List of Historic places, the congregation decided to keep the roof as it had been.
St. john’s cathedral
Jacksonville, Florida
St. John’s Cathedral is a historic Episcopal Church located in Jacksonville, Florida. Built in 1906, it houses one of Jacksonville’s oldest congregations. Over 100 years later, the original slate roof crowning the church was in need of replacement, which is a true testament to the durabilty of slate! Huber & Associates (at the time, C&H Roofing) replaced it with a new slate roof, taking care to use slate that matched the original design. View more pictures of the install and completed install here.