P24AP01639
Project Grant
Overview
Grant Description
The Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul Church, built from 1811-1816, is located at 126 Coming Street in Charleston, SC.
It was originally known as St. Paul’s Radcliffeboro.
In 1949, the parish merged with the congregation of St. Luke’s on Charlotte Street.
Later, the present building was designated the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of South Carolina.
It is historically and culturally significant due to its contribution to the Old and Historic Charleston District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The church is listed as a significant contributing structure within the district and classified at the highest level in the Historic Architecture Inventory: Group 1 Exceptional: to be preserved and protected in situ at all costs.
In 2022, Meadors, Inc. in partnership with John Moore, PE of EM Engineering were hired to assess the current conditions of the structure building on previous investigations.
The issues identified as areas of focus included investigating previous repairs made in 2007-2008 to the roof trusses, cracking on the north face of the sanctuary, deterioration of the portico column capitals and beams, and deteriorating stucco adversely affected by previous application of elastomeric paint.
The team was also asked to identify any new potential areas of concern to be studied further.
It was observed that the deterioration of the portico column capitals had continued to deteriorate significantly, as well as the stucco attached to the portico beams.
One set of beams, on the north side of the portico, had in fact cracked - being held in tension by stabilizing rods installed many years previous.
Immediate action was taken to secure the site so that arrangements could be made to stabilize the structure.
Because of constructibility issues, shoring the portico roof and replacing just the defective pieces was determined not to be the safest or most cost-effective method of performing the minimum scope of work.
In order to address the current site conditions, the solution to ensure the appropriate rehabilitation of the portico and the structure would require deconstructing a portion of the structure and rebuilding with a combination of modern and historic materials.
By utilizing lighter and stronger modern materials in this reconstruction project, the immediate structural damage and the threat that poses to the building, and more importantly, to the public will be substantially, if not completely, mitigated.
The care with which the restoration of the original facade will be done will also do much to preserve this important historic structure.
Starting at the top of the pediment, the roof structure to the east of the narthex and down to the top of the brick column shafts (to the base of the column capitals) will be deconstructed and rebuilt with new materials.
The proposed reconstruction would include using new column capitals, precast concrete beams, reinforced masonry walls, roof framing, and slate shingles.
The portico will be reconstructed using the same architectural design as the original and will be a faithful recreation.
There will be a new floating vertical joint installed to separate the portico structure from the sanctuary to accommodate future settlement.
On the interior, the ceiling will be reframed with a horizontal truss for lateral stabilization.
The historic ceiling should be salvaged and reinstalled during reconstruction.
Existing electrical and HVAC deficiencies in this area will also be addressed during the portico reconstruction.
Regarding the structure's masonry, the deteriorated exposed masonry within the tower and crawl space will be repointed with mortar that is compatible with historic mortar and brick.
Following the portico repairs, the masonry cracking on the north elevation will be repaired, along with repair to the exterior stucco using a compatible material.
All disturbed surfaces will be repainted with a proper vapor permeable coating.
It was originally known as St. Paul’s Radcliffeboro.
In 1949, the parish merged with the congregation of St. Luke’s on Charlotte Street.
Later, the present building was designated the Cathedral Church for the Diocese of South Carolina.
It is historically and culturally significant due to its contribution to the Old and Historic Charleston District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The church is listed as a significant contributing structure within the district and classified at the highest level in the Historic Architecture Inventory: Group 1 Exceptional: to be preserved and protected in situ at all costs.
In 2022, Meadors, Inc. in partnership with John Moore, PE of EM Engineering were hired to assess the current conditions of the structure building on previous investigations.
The issues identified as areas of focus included investigating previous repairs made in 2007-2008 to the roof trusses, cracking on the north face of the sanctuary, deterioration of the portico column capitals and beams, and deteriorating stucco adversely affected by previous application of elastomeric paint.
The team was also asked to identify any new potential areas of concern to be studied further.
It was observed that the deterioration of the portico column capitals had continued to deteriorate significantly, as well as the stucco attached to the portico beams.
One set of beams, on the north side of the portico, had in fact cracked - being held in tension by stabilizing rods installed many years previous.
Immediate action was taken to secure the site so that arrangements could be made to stabilize the structure.
Because of constructibility issues, shoring the portico roof and replacing just the defective pieces was determined not to be the safest or most cost-effective method of performing the minimum scope of work.
In order to address the current site conditions, the solution to ensure the appropriate rehabilitation of the portico and the structure would require deconstructing a portion of the structure and rebuilding with a combination of modern and historic materials.
By utilizing lighter and stronger modern materials in this reconstruction project, the immediate structural damage and the threat that poses to the building, and more importantly, to the public will be substantially, if not completely, mitigated.
The care with which the restoration of the original facade will be done will also do much to preserve this important historic structure.
Starting at the top of the pediment, the roof structure to the east of the narthex and down to the top of the brick column shafts (to the base of the column capitals) will be deconstructed and rebuilt with new materials.
The proposed reconstruction would include using new column capitals, precast concrete beams, reinforced masonry walls, roof framing, and slate shingles.
The portico will be reconstructed using the same architectural design as the original and will be a faithful recreation.
There will be a new floating vertical joint installed to separate the portico structure from the sanctuary to accommodate future settlement.
On the interior, the ceiling will be reframed with a horizontal truss for lateral stabilization.
The historic ceiling should be salvaged and reinstalled during reconstruction.
Existing electrical and HVAC deficiencies in this area will also be addressed during the portico reconstruction.
Regarding the structure's masonry, the deteriorated exposed masonry within the tower and crawl space will be repointed with mortar that is compatible with historic mortar and brick.
Following the portico repairs, the masonry cracking on the north elevation will be repaired, along with repair to the exterior stucco using a compatible material.
All disturbed surfaces will be repainted with a proper vapor permeable coating.
Awardee
Grant Program (CFDA)
Awarding / Funding Agency
Place of Performance
South Carolina
United States
Geographic Scope
State-Wide
Cathedral Of St Luke And St Paul was awarded
Project Grant P24AP01639
worth $750,000
from NPS National Office in October 2024 with work to be completed primarily in South Carolina United States.
The grant
has a duration of 3 years and
was awarded through assistance program 15.929 Save America's Treasures.
$1,610,026 (68.0%) of this Project Grant was funded by non-federal sources.
The Project Grant was awarded through grant opportunity FY2023 Historic Preservation Fund- Save America's Treasures Preservation Grants.
Status
(Ongoing)
Last Modified 9/3/24
Period of Performance
10/1/24
Start Date
9/30/27
End Date
Funding Split
$750.0K
Federal Obligation
$1.6M
Non-Federal Obligation
$2.4M
Total Obligated
Activity Timeline
Additional Detail
Award ID FAIN
P24AP01639
SAI Number
None
Award ID URI
None
Awardee Classifications
Nonprofit With 501(c)(3) IRS Status (Other Than An Institution Of Higher Education)
Awarding Office
140P99 STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL, PLANS & GRANTS
Funding Office
140P99 STATE, TRIBAL, LOCAL, PLANS & GRANTS
Awardee UEI
WBA6BKSD6SB7
Awardee CAGE
None
Performance District
SC-01
Senators
Lindsey Graham
Tim Scott
Tim Scott
Modified: 9/3/24