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St. Remy Catholic Church Entry
I was
commissioned in April 2014 to update
the main entrance of the St.
Remy Catholic Church in Russia, Ohio. The job entails new entry
doors, a new jamb, the 7 arch transom, lintel, 6" wide molding and arched
tympanum, all in American walnut.
The cornerstone for St. Remy Church was laid and blessed on July or
August 17, 1890, by the Very Reverend Henry Drees, Provincial of the
Congregation of the Most Precious Blood. On December 17, 1890, the
church was completed except for plastering. It was probably dedicated
in 1891. The church is made of red brick in purely Roman style and
faces Main Street.
The first idea was to match the doors in the old photo below but I thought
the original architect would have proposed a more elegant design but
was limited by a $8500 budget for the entire project. My design echoes
the arched niches on each side of the doors and the 7 arch transom above
the doors.
Some time in the past
the original wood doors were replaced with aluminum store front glass
doors.
Below is the only
photo of the original doors.
The new doors will
be 8'x 45"x 3-1/2" thick, the wood is rough cut to length and marked
for location.
The door is a layered design with molding, below is the center layer
showing the traditional mortise and tenon construction.
The two center sections dry clamped together.
The completed door with molding, the two arched top openings will have
diamond pattern leaded glass. I pre-finish the raised panels before assembly,
that way all the panels edges are sealed against moisture.
The new walnut 7 arch transom matches the existing transom.
The walnut trim matches the original inside and outside molding and
is 6" wide x 5-1/2" thick.
The bottom of the inside and outside molding rests on 4 plinth blocks.
A completed door ready for finishing.
The doors and trim are stained to even out the natural variation in the walnut's color and finished with McCloskey Man O' War Satin Spar Varnish which has excellent durability in extreme conditions.
All the pieces of the entry are laid out in my shop to dry after the final coat has been applied. The finished pieces will be carefully crated and shipped to Ohio.
The installation is almost completed.
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